Harvard Probes Students for Exposing Professor’s Epstein Links

Harvard University has opened an internal investigation into two undergraduates, Rosie P. Couture and Lola DeAscentiis, who recorded Summers apologizing to a classroom full of students for his “shameful” ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The video, which quickly went viral on TikTok and X, showed Summers addressing students after emails surfaced in which he had sought Epstein’s “personal advice” about pursuing women. In one exchange, he referred to a Chinese student as “Peril” — a term critics said evoked the racist phrase “Yellow Peril.”

“This is how classes start at Harvard,” one student wrote in the viral post. “Professors apologizing for their ties to Jeffrey Epstein.”

Within 24 hours of the video spreading, Summers, 70, stepped away from teaching and later resigned from the OpenAI board, though Harvard has not formally disciplined him.

According to The New York Times, the university is weighing disciplinary action against Couture and DeAscentiis for attending a class they were not enrolled in, recording without consent, and posting the footage publicly.

A Harvard spokesperson told the paper the school “prohibits unauthorized recording of classroom proceedings to protect student privacy and preserve open intellectual debate.”

Punishments could range from warnings to suspension or expulsion. Both students are expected to graduate in spring 2026.

One Harvard student who spoke anonymously told The Daily Beast, “It’s outrageous that the university is going after students instead of addressing why a man with years of contact with a convicted predator was teaching here in the first place.”

The latest revelations began last month, when House Republicans released a trove of correspondence between Summers and Epstein.

The emails — written years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction — showed the economist seeking romantic advice and complaining about what he called “the costs” of being a man in public life.

In one 2014 message, Epstein joked about being Summers’ “wingman.” Summers replied that the world had grown “unfair” toward men who “hit on a few women 10 years ago.”

Summers’ defenders argue the emails were “taken out of context.” But his critics — including several women’s advocacy groups — have demanded Harvard cut ties permanently. “It’s not just tone-deaf,” said one activist with the Cambridge Women’s Forum. “It’s a betrayal of every woman on campus.”

The controversy has reignited criticism of Harvard’s track record on faculty misconduct.

In 2022, the school allowed anthropology professor John L. Comaroff — found guilty of sexual harassment — to return to teaching before public pressure forced his resignation.

“The Summers case looks like more of the same,” wrote The Harvard Crimson in an editorial this week. “A powerful man embarrasses the university, yet the only people who face punishment are the students who hold him accountable.”

Harvard’s connection to Epstein stretches back decades. Epstein donated millions to university research programs, including a $6.5 million gift in the early 2000s that was not returned even after his conviction.

Summers, who served as Treasury Secretary under Bill Clinton and economic adviser to Barack Obama, became president of Harvard in 2001 — around the same time Epstein was cultivating relationships with elite academics.

Epstein’s influence reached far beyond Cambridge, ensnaring figures from Bill Gates to Prince Andrew. The financier was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in July 2019 — the same week Summers last emailed him.

The episode lands as Harvard faces broader political fire. The Trump administration has threatened to review federal funding over allegations that the school tolerated antisemitism and ideological bias on campus.

Now, with Summers’ scandal back in the spotlight, conservative lawmakers are calling for a full congressional review of Epstein’s ties to elite universities.

“Harvard has no moral credibility left,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in a Monday post. “They’re punishing truth-tellers instead of predators.”

Summers remains on paid leave while Harvard’s Epstein review committee continues its investigation. The panel could recommend a reprimand, suspension, or — in an extreme case — dismissal for “grave misconduct.”

Meanwhile, the students who filmed him say they don’t regret what they did.

“We didn’t hack anything. We just documented the truth,” Couture reportedly told friends, according to one classmate. “If Harvard wants to expel us for that, fine. At least people finally know who they’re protecting.”

Source: The New York Times, The Harvard Crimson, The Daily Beast, and congressional document releases on the Epstein files.