Ex-US treasury chief steps back from public duties after Epstein emails release

Former Harvard University president Larry Summers has stepped back from public duties (Michael Dwyer/AP)

Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard University who once served as US treasury secretary, has said he will step back from public commitments after the release of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008.

A statement sent to student newspaper The Harvard Crimson and other media on Monday said Mr Summers would step back to “rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me”.