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The former Treasury secretary corresponded routinely with Jeffrey Epstein. In one series of exchanges, he sought Mr. Epstein’s advice on how to handle a female acquaintance.
Nov. 12, 2025, 4:33 p.m. ET
A series of exchanges between Jeffrey Epstein and Lawrence H. Summers, the former Treasury Secretary, suggest a far cozier and more intimate relationship than was previously known.
Emails between the two were released Wednesday by House Republicans, along with more than 20,000 pages of documents. They show the two men bantering, sometimes multiple times a day.
The discussions, which took place in 2017, 2018 and 2019, largely focused on President Trump, whom Mr. Epstein in December 2018 described as “borderline insane.”
But many of the emails focus on Mr. Summers’s conversations with a woman and his concern about how to handle relations with her. Over several exchanges, Mr. Epstein offered advice, sometimes referring to Mr. Summers’s connection as though it were a sport.
In a March 16, 2019, email, Mr. Summers appeared concerned about the woman’s involvement with another person.
On Mar 16, 2019, at 3:19 PM, Jeffrey Epstein wrote:
shes smart. making you pay for past errors. ignore the daddy im going to go out with the motorcycle guy, you reacted well.. annoyed shows caring., no whining showed strentgh.
On Sat, Mar 16, 2019 at 3:08 PM Larry Summers wrote:
We talked on phone. Then "I can't talk later”. Dint think I can talk tomorrow".
I said what are you up to. She said “I'm busy”. I said awfully coy u are.
And then I said. Did u really rearrange the weekend we were going to be together because guy number 3 was coming"
She said no his schedule changed after we changed our plans.
I said ok I got to go call me when u feel like it. Tone was not of good feeling.
I dint want to be in a gift giving competition while being the friend without benefits.
“I said what are you up to. She said ‘I’m busy,’” Mr. Summers wrote to Mr. Epstein. “I said awfully coy u are.”
“And then I said. Did u really rearrange the weekend we were going to be together because guy number 3 was coming”
Minutes later, Mr. Epstein replied: “shes smart. making you pay for past errors. ignore the daddy im going to go out with the motorcycle guy, you reacted well.. annoyed shows caring., no whining showed strentgh.”
The newly released conversations between the two men took place years after Mr. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution-related charges. Many of the exchanges occurred after an investigation by The Miami Herald about a secret plea deal, bringing Mr. Epstein back into the spotlight.
Mr. Summers declined to comment on Wednesday beyond referring to previous remarks in which he acknowledged “regretting my past associations with Mr. Epstein.” (Mr. Summers is a contributing writer for The New York Times Opinion section.)
In November 2018, Mr. Summers forwarded Mr. Epstein an email from a woman whom the former Treasury secretary had corresponded with: “Think no response for a while probably appropriate.”
“She’s already begining to sound needy :) nice,” Mr. Epstein replied.
Mr. Summers’s relationship with Mr. Epstein was previously known. In 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported on an exchange in 2014 between the two men related to Mr. Summers’s wife, Elisa New, a Harvard professor. The Journal, citing emails, reported that Mr. Summers had asked Mr. Epstein for advice on getting $1 million in funding for a project his wife was undertaking.
Emmett Lindner is a business reporter for The Times.
