5 Higher Ed Names in the Epstein Files

The House of Representatives voted 427 to 1 on Tuesday to release the remainder of the so-called Epstein files, a trove of documents and records related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Senate subsequently approved the bill by unanimous consent, and it now goes to the president’s desk. The votes followed the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Nov. 12 release of an additional 20,000 documents from the Epstein estate, in which several prominent higher education figures are mentioned or communicated with Epstein.

The financier first pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution with a minor in 2008 and was sentenced to 18 months in a minimum-security prison. Over the next decade, numerous women filed lawsuits alleging that Epstein had abused them when they were minors. In 2019, federal agents arrested Epstein for the sex trafficking of minors. He died by suicide in a detention facility shortly afterward.

None of the higher ed figures included here was implicated in any of those criminal activities. But they maintained correspondence with Epstein during that time.

Inside Higher Ed analyzes the correspondence of five of the most frequently mentioned higher education figures in the Nov. 12 Epstein file drop. Please note that all quotes are reproduced verbatim, bad grammar and all.

Larry Summers

The document dump included several communications between Epstein and former Harvard University president Larry Summers, a friend of Epstein’s who sought advice from him about pursuing a junior colleague. On Nov. 30, 2018, Summers agreed that Epstein was a “very good wingman” and updated Epstein on his attempt to get closer to the woman.

“Think for now I’m going nowhere with her except economics mentor,” Summers wrote. “I think I’m right now in the seen very warmly in rear view mirror category. She did not want to have a drink cuz she was ‘tired’ I left the hotel lobby somewhat abruptly. When I’m reflective I think I’m dodging a bullet. There are huge ups with her but very self involved and to get her to be good probably requires more firmness than I enjoy. Think right thing is to cut off contact. Suspect she will miss it. Problem is I will too.”

In another back-and-forth on Oct. 27, 2017, Summers wrote he “observed that half the IQ In the world was possessed by women without mentioning they are more than 51 percent of population,” and that “I’m trying to figure why American elite think if u murder your baby by beating and abandonment it must be irrelevant to your admission to Harvard, but hit on a few women 10 years ago and can’t work at a network or think tank.”

Harvard, where Summers still teaches, is mentioned in at least 200 documents. The university has not commented publicly on Summers’s ties to Epstein and did not return Inside Higher Ed’s request for comment Tuesday. On Monday, hours after Sen. Elizabeth Warren called for Harvard to sever ties with Summers, he told The Boston Globe he would take a step back from public commitments but continue teaching.

A Harvard spokesperson told the Harvard Crimson on Tuesday that “the University is conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted.” As part of his retreat from public commitments, Summers will step down from his role on the board of OpenAI, the New York Times reported Wednesday. A Times spokesperson also told the Harvard Crimson that they do not plan to renew Summers’ one-year contract with New York Times Opinion. The Globe reported Tuesday that Summers is no longer affiliated with the think tank Center for American Progress or the policy research center Budget Lab at Yale University.

“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” Summers told the Globe. “I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”

Summers’s wife, Elisa New, author and emerita professor of American literature at Harvard, is also mentioned in the files. On several occasions, she sought feedback from Epstein on her PBS show Poetry in America and asked for help recruiting celebrities to appear on the show. In one email thread, New recommended Epstein read a Lolita-like book.

“I’m going upstairs to hunt for my copy of Lolita, or will get on my kindle and reread on our way to Australia. I may have lent it to one of my kids. I would recommend reading My Antonia by Cather next time you’re on a long plane trip. The prose is gorgeous, and the book has– come to think of it–similar themes to Lolita in that it’s about a man whose whole life is stamped forever by his impression of a young girl.”

Alan Dershowitz

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz is well-known for taking on controversial clients and cases, including Mike Tyson, Harvey Weinstein, Julian Assange and Epstein. He was part of the legal that team in 2007 negotiated a nonprosecution agreement for Epstein in Florida after he was accused of sex trafficking and abuse of minors. Dershowitz retired from his role as a professor at Harvard Law School in 2013; he was mentioned in 153 documents in the Nov. 12 trove.

The emails between Dershowitz and Epstein were largely cordial, but in several communications to others, Epstein criticized Dershowitz. For example, in a Sept. 22 email to Summers, Epstein wrote “trump – borderline insane. dersh, a few feet further from the border but not by much.” In a July 4, 2018, message, someone whose name was redacted described Dershowitz to Epstein as “the Kim Kardashian of the legal scene.” Epstein replied with “nicely put. !.”

Lawrence Krauss

Canadian American theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss, who taught at Arizona State University from 2008 until 2019, when he retired after several women accused him of sexual misconduct, was mentioned in at least 60 documents. Two months prior to retiring, Krauss asked Epstein for a ride in his jet to Germany, The Arizona Republic reported.

“I was previously invited to give a major lecture in Heidelberg Oct 14 but they had to cancel it after the university determination re australia was publicized by the bitch,” Krauss wrote to Epstein on Aug. 29, 2018, referring to organizers learning of allegations that Krauss groped a woman in Australia. Krauss told The Arizona Republic he had no memory of such an email and that he never traveled on Epstein’s jet.

In April 2018, in response to news about a “Women of the World” conference, Krauss suggested to Epstein a “men of the world conference” that would include four celebrities accused of sexual harassment or misconduct—Kevin Spacey, Bill Clinton, Al Franken and Woody Allen.

Krauss also defended Epstein in a 2011 Daily Beast article.

“If anything, the unfortunate period he suffered has caused him to really think about what he wants to do with his money and his time, and support knowledge. … Jeffrey has surrounded himself with beautiful women and young women but they’re not as young as the ones that were claimed. As a scientist I always judge things on empirical evidence and he always has women ages 19 to 23 around him, but I’ve never seen anything else, so as a scientist, my presumption is that whatever the problems were I would believe him over other people.” He added, “I don’t feel tarnished in any way by my relationship with Jeffrey; I feel raised by it.”

Kenneth Starr

The Nov. 12 tranche includes at least 83 documents that mention former Baylor University president Kenneth Starr, who previously served as independent counsel during the Clinton administration and wrote the report that led to President Clinton’s impeachment for misconduct related to his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Starr sometimes signed off communications to Epstein with “hugs” or “love,” and the two talked about making plans to meet up.

On Nov. 19, 2016, Epstein wrote to Starr, “miss talking to you,” to which Starr replied, “Any chance to see you in the Sunshine State?” and the two made plans for lunch at Epstein’s house.

On Christmas 2016, Starr wrote to Epstein, “A prince art thou. Thank you. Just agreed to handle an appeal — billion-dollar jury verdict in federal court against Johnson & Johnson. Get ready: Representing the hip-replacement plaintiffs. Good friends on both sides. Love ya.”

In 2017, Epstein came to Starr for advice about how Krauss should handle the sexual misconduct allegations against him. “Consult a lawyer beforehand, if possible, but be cooperative/nice at this stage,” Starr told Epstein, which Epstein passed along to Krauss. “But this sounds like an internal discipline matter rather than Title IX.”

Starr died in 2022.

Noam Chomsky

Another frequent name in Epstein’s inbox was linguist and Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor emeritus Noam Chomsky, who is mentioned in at least 50 documents from the Nov. 12 drop. The two frequently spoke about academics, science and politics, including President Donald Trump.

In an undated letter addressed “to whom it may concern,” Chomsky wrote that “the impact of Jeffrey’s limitless curiosity, extensive knowledge, penetrating insights, and thoughtful appraisals is only heightened by his easy informality, without a trace of pretentiousness. He quickly became a highly valued friend and regular source of intellectual exchange and stimulation.”

Several exchanges provide a glimpse into the relationship between Chomsky and Epstein. In an Aug. 6, 2018, email, Epstein offered Chomsky the use of one of his residences. “You are of course welcome to use apt in new york with your new leisure time, or visit new Mexico again.” Earlier in the thread, Epstein said, “Only go to Greece if you feel well, I just had to send my plane to bring another lefty friend back from Athens to see a Jew doctor in New York.”

When The Wall Street Journal asked Chomsky about his relationship with Epstein for a 2023 article, he said, “First response is that it is none of your business. Or anyone’s. Second is that I knew him and we met occasionally.”

Other higher education–adjacent names in the Epstein file drop include:

• Investor Leon Black, who previously served on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Dartmouth College, where he has given substantial gifts.
• Media executive Mortimer Zuckerman, a former professor at Harvard and Yale.
• Joi Ito, president of the Chiba Institute of Technology and former director of the MIT Media Lab.
• Billionaire businessman Leslie Wexner, a significant donor to Ohio State University, his alma mater.
• Psychologist and neuroscientist Stephen Kosslyn, a professor emeritus at Harvard University.

(This story has been updated to include more details about Larry Summers’s retreat from public life.)