Former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, who served in the Clinton administration, has announced his retirement from public life over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the Financial Times reported.
“I am stepping back from public life as part of a broader effort to rebuild trust and relationships with those closest to me“, Summers said, adding that he was ashamed of his past actions.
According to the publication, Summers made this decision after documents were published showing that he discussed with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein an extramarital affair with one of his “protégé“.
Epstein was arrested by New York State law enforcement on July 6, 2019. Prosecutors said they had evidence that between 2002 and 2005, he arranged visits to his Manhattan home for dozens of underage girls, the youngest of whom was 14 years old. Epstein's circle of friends and acquaintances includes a large number of current and former employees not only in the United States, but also in many other countries. Epstein's acquaintances include the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, and current President Donald Trump.
The criminal prosecution against the financier was discontinued after his suicide in prison on August 10, 2019.