Fallout from mentions in Epstein files continue
By: Bart Jansen
WASHINGTON - The day after Larry Summers, a former treasury secretary, said he plans to resign form Harvard University, Borge Brende, the president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, said February 26 [2026] he was stepping down - two of the latest in a series of high-profile men who have lost reputations, jobs and in some cases come under criminal investigation after the release of documents about the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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Richard Axel, a Nobel Prize-winning professor at Columbia University, also said he was resigning as co-director of the Zucherman Mind Brain Behavior Institute because of his connection to Epstein. He added he would focus on research and teaching in his lab.
..... "My past association with Jeffrey Epstein was a serious error in judgment, which I deeply regret,: Axel said in a statement. Axel wasn't accused of wrongdoing but was a frequent visitor of Epstein's.
..... The list of names continues to grow from the Justice Department's release of 3 million pages of documents from the criminal investigation of Epstein. The records include pictures and emails featuring celebrities, political and business leaders, sparking questions about who might be investigated or charged next.
...... Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister, has said he was unaware of Epstein's past and criminal activities before that meeting him in 2018, and that he regretted not having investigated him more thoroughly.
..... Brende, who became president of the forum in 2017, announced his decision February 26 [22026] in a statement that made no mention of Epstein. It followed disclosures from the DOJ start showed the Norwegian had three business dinners and other communications with the disgraced financier.
..... His decision to quit - a few weeks after the world Economic Forum launched an independent investigation - came amid a series of revelations everlasting to Epstein, who in 2008 was convicted of soliciting prostitution form a minor.
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Epstein died by suicide n 2019 in jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He allegedly sexually abused potentially hundreds of women and girls and trafficked them to other wealthy men.
..... The House Oversight Committee released emails between Epstein and Summers from about 2019 that showed the former Harvard president corresponding on a range of topics including seeking advice for his love life.
..... Summers, who previously withdrew from many public duties and quit the OpenAI tech company board, issued a statement February 25 [2026] saying he made the difficult decision to retire from his professorship at the end of the academic year. He plans to continue engaging in research, analysis and commentary on economic issues.
..... Microsoft founder Bill gates discussed the Epstein records February 24 [2026] during a Gate Foundation town hall. "Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions," the foundation said of the town hall.
..... Former President Bill Clinton and his wife,, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were expected to give depositions about Epstein to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on February 27 and February 26, [2026] respectively.
..... Contributing: Reuters