They tried to keep this quiet, but a student’s phone and a brave whistleblower DM did what the mainstream press and Harvard wouldn’t: they showed Larry Summers in a classroom admitting shame over his private relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and awkwardly telling students he would step back from public roles while continuing to teach. The footage is humiliating for an elite who once ran the country’s economic policy, and it reinforces a growing sense that America’s institutions protect their own until the cameras force transparency.
The substance of the scandal is not secret gossip but documents released by Congress showing years of correspondence between Summers and Epstein that continued right up to July 5, 2019 — the day before Epstein’s arrest — a pattern the public deserves to understand. These revelations aren’t just about poor judgment; they are about how the Washington and academic elite mingle with predators and then expect the rest of us to look the other way.
Summers’ public posture — a brief expression of “shame” before settling into his lecture — will not reassure parents or students who expect Harvard to be a place of moral seriousness, not moral laxity. Students captured video and posted it to social media, and the backlash was immediate: calls for accountability, horror from female students who felt betrayed, and politicians demanding action. This is what happens when privileged figures assume tenure and clout will shield them from consequences.
Organizations have started to respond, with Summers stepping away from high-profile public commitments and corporate boards scrambling to distance themselves as the pressure mounts. Resignations from advisory boards and the loss of roles at outside institutions are the bare minimum; when elite networks enable or normalize these relationships, more than symbolic gestures are required. The rancid smell of insider protection can’t be washed away by a perfunctory apology.
Harvard’s decision to open another probe is overdue, but it should not be the last word — boards, donors, and peer institutions must reassess how they reward and protect influential figures who place their careers above basic judgment. The wider scandal around Epstein’s donations and influence should prompt a full audit of how Ivy League institutions handled money, favors, and access, and it should end the cozy revolving door between academia, finance, and power. America’s young people deserve institutions that teach responsibility, not entitlement.
Conservatives should be unapologetic about demanding justice and higher standards from elites who have long operated with impunity. This isn’t about partisan scorekeeping; it’s about the rule of law, decency, and protecting students and donors from moral rot at the top. If Harvard and other institutions value their reputations, they will act decisively rather than waiting for the next leaked email to spark outrage.
Accountability must be real and consistent: temporary leaves and stump apologies are not enough. Board seats, endowed positions, and speaking platforms carry responsibilities, and when those who hold them violate trust — even by poor judgment with the powerful and the depraved — the public has the right to demand tangible consequences. America needs institutions that honor character as much as credentials, and that begins by putting integrity before pedigree.
