Newly released documents from House Republicans show that former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers continued communicating regularly with Jeffrey Epstein long after Epstein was convicted on prostitution-related charges.
Among more than 20,000 pages of materials, a set of emails from 2016 to 2019 reveals a closer relationship between Summers and the disgraced financier than previously known. Their exchanges include casual conversations about an unidentified woman, personal remarks, and discussions involving politics and former President Donald Trump.
One exchange dated March 3, 2019 — just months before Epstein’s arrest — includes Summers recounting a tense interaction with a woman. He described feeling competitive and uneasy, writing that he didn’t “want to be in a gift giving competition while being the friend without benefits.”
Epstein responded minutes later, suggesting the woman was “smart” and “making you pay for past errors,” while praising Summers for showing “strength” rather than “whining.”
Other messages released include light banter in 2018, such as Summers forwarding an email from a woman and joking that ignoring her for a while “probably” made sense. Epstein replied that she was “already begining [sic] to sound needy.”
In July 2018, Epstein reached out asking if Summers would be in New York. When Summers asked why, Epstein teased a meeting with the “presidnt [sic] of united nations,” calling him “interesting” for Summers to meet. A later reply from Summers criticized Trump’s behavior at the time, asking, “Do the Russians have stuff on Trump?”
Epstein responded sharply, telling Summers that Trump “has no idea of the symbolism — he has no idea of most things.”
Emails from 2017 and 2016 show both men expressing contempt toward Trump. Epstein claimed he had “met some very bad people” but found “none as bad as trump,” calling him “dangerous.” Summers wrote that he wanted to keep his distance from Trump entirely, saying his approach to governance left Summers “best off a million miles away.”
In late 2016, Epstein referenced Trump bringing forward accusations against the Clintons, reminding Summers of a past dinner. Summers asked if he should be worried, responding, “R u about to be dragged in?”
Summers’ links to Epstein had been previously reported. The Wall Street Journal noted in 2023 that Summers once sought Epstein’s advice on fundraising efforts for a project involving his wife, Harvard professor Elisa New.
