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Former US treasury secretary the Harvard professor is leaving the board at OpenAI, just several days after a batch of electronic messages between him and notorious criminal the accused trafficker became widely known.

The economist stated in an announcement that he was "thankful for the chance to have participated, enthusiastic about the prospects of the organization, and look forward following their progress".

The former Harvard president, who previously led Harvard University, announced on Monday that he would be scaling back from public roles due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein.

Digital Correspondence

The recently released messages revealed that the economist corresponded with the financier until the day before Epstein's 2019 arrest for suspected human trafficking of young people.

In additional comments, the AI firm said it respected the economist's decision to resign.

"We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he provided to the directors," OpenAI commented.

Legislative Background

This announcement comes after both chambers of the legislative branch voted on Tuesday to pass a bill that would compel the federal prosecutors to disclose its records on the case.

The legislation will then proceed to the administration of the White House for endorsement. Trump has stated he intends to sign the measure, after reversing his position on the subject following pushback from his supporters.

Message Details

A group of financier-linked emails disclosed by the House Oversight Committee recently referenced several well-known personalities in the billionaire's past associates, without implying any criminal activity by those people.

The communications revealed that the professor and Jeffrey Epstein regularly had dinners together, with the billionaire often attempting to link Summers to notable world leaders.

Personal Response

After the emails were made available with the general audience, he expressed he took "complete accountability for my ill-advised judgment to persist in interacting with Mr Epstein".

He added that he wanted "to restore confidence and fix connections with the people most important to me".

Career Background

The economist occupied senior posts under two Democratic presidents; acting as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, and as leader of the economic advisory body under the former leader.

He led Harvard from 2001 to 2006 and continues to be a faculty member there. When declaring his departure from public duties earlier on Monday, he indicated he would maintain his teaching commitments.

Further Repercussions

Following his announcement on Monday, the policy organization, a left-leaning think tank in DC where the professor was a senior fellow, confirmed that the economist was ceased to be connected with the group.

He joined the board of the AI company, which makes the language model, in the previous year - following a unsuccessful effort to replace its CEO Sam Altman.