Harvard secretly launched an investigation into two students who filmed former university president Larry Summers discussing his chummy relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to a report.
The students might face punishment for posting a video of the famed economist talking about his ties to the notorious pedophile in a lecture hall full of students, according to sources familiar with the hush-hush investigation, who spoke to The New York Times.
The clip was posted a week after a trove of new emails revealed that Epstein and the onetime Harvard president had been buddy-buddy and even discussed tactics for chasing women.
Former Harvard President Larry Summers at commencement ceremonies in 2007. Getty Images
Summers chats with Jeffrey Epstein at a dinner at Harvard. The pair had been in touch for years before Epstein’s death, emails revealed. Alamy Stock PhotoIn the video, the economics professor mentioned his “shame” for that relationship and referenced a formal apology he delivered in November — along with an announcement that he would be stepping back from public activities.
The students under disciplinary investigation are Rosie P. Couture and Lola DeAscentiis, who allegedly both crashed Summers’ classroom even though they weren’t enrolled in the course, according to the Times.
“This is how classes start at Harvard: Professors apologizing for their ties to Jeffrey Epstein,” a caption for the video read.
The university is investigating whether the footage violated several rules, including recording classes without permission and attending a class they weren’t enrolled in.
Jeffrey Epstein (center) with Alan Dershowitz (left) and Larry Summers (right) at a dinner hosted by Epstein at Harvard University. Alamy Stock Photo
Larry Summers, who is married, routinely asked Epstein for dating advice, recently-released emails revealed. Getty ImagesPotential repercussions range from a simple reprimand to expulsion, according to the outlet.
The married Summers — who served as Treasury secretary under Clinton, Harvard president from 2001 to 2006, and director of the National Economic Council under Obama — routinely picked Epstein’s twisted brain about how to interact with the fairer sex.
The pair began discussing women as early as 2017, when Summers moaned about the #MeToo movement, the emails show.
The pair discussed one of Summers’ entanglements in 2018 and strategized about another woman in 2019 — including a reference to a phone call they shared just months before Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges.
The revelations pushed the onetime Harvard president to step back from his teaching duties. They also led to his ouster from his lucrative consulting gig at hedge fund DE Shaw — effectively ending his career on Wall Street.
Summers had initially vowed to keep teaching his economics class, but soon decided to take a break from his professorial duties amid the roiling scandal.
