Larry Summers, the former Harvard president and prominent economist, sought advice from Jeffrey Epstein on how to pursue a romantic relationship with a Chinese macro-economist, Keyu Jin. The emails, released from Epstein's estate, reveal Summers confiding in Epstein about his pursuit of Jin, referring to her as "peril" and discussing the probability of "getting horizontal" with her.
Epstein, in turn, expressed skepticism about Summers' chances. The nickname "peril" is believed to be a reference to the racist "yellow peril" trope.
Summers' exchanges with Epstein occurred in 2018 and 2019, during which he also mentioned flattering Jin's father, Jin Liqun, a high-ranking Chinese official and former president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Summers expressed frustration when Jin canceled plans and appeared interested in someone else.
The emails show Jin's correspondence with Summers was strictly professional, and it is unclear if she was aware of his pursuit. The revelations have drawn strong criticism, with some calling for Summers' resignation from Harvard.
In response to the controversy, Summers announced he would step back from public commitments at the university to "rebuild trust and repair relationships." The Economic Club of New York also postponed a scheduled discussion with Summers. This is not the first time Summers has faced scrutiny for his comments regarding women and gender.
