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Former US treasury secretary Larry Summers is leaving the directorate at OpenAI, just several days after a batch of electronic messages between him and notorious criminal Jeffrey Epstein became public.

Summers commented in an announcement that he was "thankful for the privilege to have served, enthusiastic about the potential of the organization, and look forward tracking their advancement".

The former Harvard president, who once led Harvard University, declared on earlier this week that he would be stepping back from public commitments due to his connections with Jeffrey Epstein.

Message Exchange

The newly public messages demonstrated that the official communicated with Jeffrey Epstein until the eve of the financier's 2019 apprehension for accused trafficking of underage individuals.

In additional comments, the technology organization said it respected his choice to step down.

"We appreciate his significant contributions and the insight he provided to the governing body," OpenAI remarked.

Congressional Action

This news arrives after both chambers of Congress decided on Tuesday to pass a legislation that would compel the US justice department to release its documents on Epstein.

The measure will afterward move to the administration of US President Donald Trump for endorsement. The President has indicated he expects to sign the legislation, after changing his stance on the subject following pressure from his followers.

Message Details

A group of financier-linked correspondence made public by the House Oversight Committee days ago included numerous well-known personalities in the Epstein's previous network, without implying any illegal behavior by those figures.

The emails showed that the professor and Epstein regularly had dinners together, with Epstein often trying to link the official to influential global figures.

Personal Response

After the emails were shared with the public, he said he accepted "complete accountability for my misguided judgment to continue corresponding with Mr Epstein".

He added that he desired "to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the individuals nearest to me".

Professional History

Summers served in leadership roles under two Democratic presidents; serving as economic leader under President Clinton, and as director of the White House economic team under the former leader.

He led Harvard from five years and continues to be a professor there. When stating his withdrawal from public commitments earlier on Monday, he said he would persist with his teaching commitments.

Additional Consequences

Following his declaration on Monday, the Washington think tank, a progressive think tank in DC where Summers was a senior fellow, confirmed that Summers was no longer connected with the institution.

Summers became part of the directorate of the technology firm, which develops the language model, in last year - following a defeated move to remove its CEO the company leader.