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Ex-Treasury chief Larry Summers is departing from the directorate at OpenAI, just several days after a series of electronic messages between him and deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein became widely known.

He stated in a statement that he was "grateful for the privilege to have participated, excited about the promise of the organization, and look forward tracking their progress".

The former Harvard president, who once headed the Ivy League institution, announced on Monday that he would be stepping back from public commitments due to his association with the convicted sex offender.

Digital Correspondence

The recently released communications demonstrated that Summers communicated with Epstein until the eve of Epstein's 2019 arrest for alleged trafficking of young people.

In a separate statement, the artificial intelligence company said it accepted Summers' decision to step down.

"We value his many contributions and the insight he provided to the directors," the company commented.

Congressional Action

This development comes after the two houses of the US legislature voted on Tuesday to endorse a measure that would mandate the federal prosecutors to disclose its files on the case.

The measure will then proceed to the office of the White House for approval. He has indicated he intends to sign the bill, after changing his position on the matter following pushback from his base.

Message Details

A collection of financier-linked emails disclosed by the House Oversight Committee days ago included several high-profile figures in the billionaire's former circle, without indicating any criminal activity by those individuals.

The emails showed that Summers and Epstein dined together frequently, with he often seeking to introduce the academic to notable global figures.

Personal Accountability

After the messages were released with the general audience, he said he assumed "full responsibility for my ill-advised choice to maintain interacting with Jeffrey Epstein".

He continued that he desired "to reestablish faith and mend bonds with the persons most important to me".

Professional History

Summers served in high-level positions under party leaders; functioning as economic leader under Bill Clinton, and as director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama.

He headed the institution from 2001 to 2006 and continues to be a academic there. When declaring his departure from public roles earlier on Monday, he stated he would continue his academic responsibilities.

Other Impacts

Following Summers' statement on earlier this week, the Washington think tank, a liberal research organization in Washington where he was a senior fellow, announced that Summers was not affiliated with the group.

He entered the board of OpenAI, which creates ChatGPT, in last year - following a defeated move to replace its chief executive OpenAI's head.