November 21, 2025
Like you, I read the recent news about Larry Summers and his relationship with Epstein. Mr. Summers offered a mea culpa following the recent publication of his correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” Summers said in a statement.
The House Oversight Committee last week released more than 20,000 emails from Epstein’s estate, which included extensive correspondence between the disgraced financier and Summers. The most recent one was from the day before Epstein was arrested in 2019.“While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me,” Summers added in his statement.
C’mon man! You were President of Harvard and a globally respected economist. Even I liked your work. What in the world were you thinking of? The disclosures about you having this guy as your dating consultant and the back and forth were cringe-worthy to read. I couldn’t read it all.
Well, he’s not alone. Bill Clinton can always be relied upon to take us to the line and over it. I give him credit for the first major downshifting in personal behavior among Presidents. How do you explain the Lewinsky affair to your grandchildren? But there’s hope! Mr. Clinton has said that his numerous contacts, trips on the plane, possible visits to the island related to his “charitable” work. Whew! I’m relieved! I thought it might be something else!
Back in the day, Mr. Clinton lost me when he said he didn’t inhale. I was there, back in the 60’s, everyone inhaled.
Mr. Trump being the coup de grace down the behavioral rabbit hole.
Of course, those on the far Right ignore Mr. Trump’s interesting history and then those on the far Left ignore Mr. Clinton’s.
I wrote earlier this year about the nexus of sex, money and power and that might be worth the reread as the Epstein drama unfolds.
So, to be clear:
I’d welcome a full disclosure of the evidence and documents, full light of day. Americans are certainly able to make judgements about what will be disclosed. The people are entitled to it. All of it. No more teasing about it.
I will get an early start and decry the inevitable ‘gotcha’ and partisan commentary that will highlight the other guy and ignore ‘my’ guy’s behavior. Fox and MS Now will have a field day with all of this, and I have promised myself that I’m not going to listen to any of it. I’m much more interested in the actual documents and more reasoned discussion from print. WSJ is my first source, but I’m holding out hope (maybe hopelessly) that the NYT, maybe Washington Post and New York Post can take this as an opportunity to clean up their partisan acts, regain public trust by moving toward balance. That would be a really great thing.
My musings on morality center more on the reason(s) why people in high positions of power and trust so shamelessly prove themselves unworthy of trust.
My musings center on how people in positions of power and trust, sell themselves for such small amounts of money…small time graft and grifting. What did Senator Menendez get? A car and some coins? C’mon man! You’re a United States Senator and the people of New Jersey are counting on you!
Well, of course, yes. And as you know, it’s as old as the prophets. It’s baked into some personalities.
Now back in the day, it all went on. Thomas Jefferson, Warren Harding, and Franklin Roosevelt all had confirmed or well-documented affairs. Many others probably had, but they weren’t confirmed.
But back in the day, the media was in on the deal. Jack Kennedy’s philandering was not a secret among those in the know. But there was an unwritten rule that politicians’ private lives, particularly their sexual conduct, were off-limits unless directly relevant to their public duties. The press corps operated under a “gentleman’s agreement” that personal indiscretions weren’t newsworthy. Even Ben Bradlee, the journalist who became famous for overseeing Watergate coverage at the Washington Post, was a personal friend of Kennedy’s and knew about his affairs but didn’t report them.
This changed dramatically after Watergate in the 1970s, when investigative journalism became more aggressive and the line between public and private life blurred considerably.
I think on mortgage and real estate cheating. Beyond the money, that’s just stupid, dumb. They perhaps have not gotten the memo: In today’s digital and all-pervasive recording of even where you had breakfasted this morning (it’s in the cell phone triangulation records), everything is recorded and can be pulled for examination.
Working in a global financial firm for as long as I did, I got to watch the unfolding of increased disclosures and transparencies over the decades. Everything comes with breadcrumbs trailing behind it. So those of limited intelligence assume they can get away with it. It being whatever transgression they’re thinking about.
Guy goes to a concert with his employee/girlfriend, thinks they’re safe. Bam! Their ‘moment’ has been viewed 30,000,000 times now on social media, complete with slo-mo and commentary. He resigned, she resigned, she got 900 death threats (I find that incredible), divorces followed, of course. So, why do they do these things?
I think in part its hubris, perhaps hyperventilating hormones completely clouding good judgement…infatuation or falling in love overwhelming what must be very questionable analysis processes between some ears. But a powerful thing!
“I know I’m headed for great success as CEO of this company, but I think tonight I’d like to take my direct report executive girlfriend to a concert where there will be tens of thousands of people all with cell phones taking pictures. Plus, the band will be videotaping the audience! I’m in! We won’t get caught!”
I mean, wow. Maybe rethink that one? Nope, because we won’t get caught. Well, I tell you truthfully that this is America, the land of second chances. I hope they can both find happiness, I don’t know how they square it with their former spouses and kids. I am reminded that trust comes very, very slowly and is hard won, and it can slip away in a nano-second.
If I could advise young people on this, the advice would be quite simple and easy to believe: Live your life like it was all going to be on the front page of the newspaper in the morning. In my business, the advice was to live your professional life as though it was going to appear on the C1 page of tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal. Or, behave like your Mother is watching everything.
That advice speaks to acting the right way, doing the rights things, especially when no one is watching.
You do it because that’s the right way to live. But also, because everyone is watching. Even when you don’t think they are.
Thoughts, questions, or reflections? I’d love to hear them. You can reach me anytime at anthony@workingprofit.com
