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Former US treasury secretary Lawrence Summers is departing from the board at OpenAI, just several days after a collection of electronic messages between him and late convicted sex offender the accused trafficker became widely known.

He stated in a release that he was "grateful for the chance to have participated, enthusiastic about the potential of the organization, and look forward following their progress".

The prominent academic, who formerly led the Ivy League institution, stated on earlier this week that he would be stepping back from public roles due to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Email Communications

The newly public communications revealed that the official corresponded with the financier until the eve of the financier's 2019 apprehension for alleged sex trafficking of young people.

In another announcement, the AI firm stated it understood Summers' choice to resign.

"We appreciate his numerous inputs and the insight he provided to the Board," the organization commented.

Legislative Background

This development arrives after the two houses of the US legislature voted on Tuesday to pass a measure that would compel the Department of Justice to make public its files on the case.

The bill will afterward move to the office of the White House for endorsement. The President has stated he expects to sign the legislation, after modifying his view on the issue following pushback from his base.

Message Details

A batch of Epstein-connected emails released by the Congressional committee last week mentioned numerous prominent individuals in the Epstein's former circle, without implying any criminal activity by those individuals.

The emails revealed that the professor and the financier dined together frequently, with the billionaire often trying to introduce Summers to notable global figures.

Individual Statement

After the messages were made available with the general audience, he stated he assumed "complete accountability for my poor judgment to maintain interacting with Mr Epstein".

He added that he hoped "to restore faith and repair bonds with the individuals closest to me".

Professional History

The professor served in senior posts under Democratic administrations; functioning as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, and as leader of the White House economic team under Barack Obama.

He headed Harvard from five years and remains a faculty member there. When stating his withdrawal from public duties recently on this week, he stated he would maintain his teaching commitments.

Other Impacts

Following the economist's announcement on earlier this week, the policy organization, a liberal think tank in Washington where the professor was a researcher, announced that the economist was ceased to be connected with the organization.

Summers entered the board of the AI company, which develops the AI chatbot, in last year - following a defeated move to oust its chief executive the company leader.