Number of resignations grows over Epstein ties: List

The tally of high-profile figures forced to relinquish their positions over past ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is growing at a striking pace.

On Thursday, the World Economic Forum (WEF) revealed that its president and CEO, Børge Brende, was stepping down after more than eight years leading the organization. It followed an investigation into Brende over his connections to Epstein, and after files released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that the pair had several dinners together and frequently exchanged text messages and emails.

The announcement came one day after two prominent academics—former Harvard President and Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Richard Axel—said they would be resigning from their posts following new revelations about their relationship with Epstein.

Why It Matters

The millions of Epstein-related records published by the DOJ, along with the thousands released by the House Oversight Committee, have exposed a broad network of contacts Epstein cultivated before his death in 2019, which was officially ruled a suicide.

Being named in the files does not indicate any evidence of wrongdoing, but reputational damage has dogged the high-profile people who feature heavily—as well as their companies–while leading to criminal investigations in the United Kingdom and Norway.

Who Has Resigned Over Ties To Epstein?

WEF President Børge Brende

In Thursday’s statement, WEF Co-Chairs André Hoffmann and Larry Fink expressed “sincere appreciation” for Brende’s contributions to the organization and said that its investigation into his Epstein ties revealed “no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed.”

Brende, formerly the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the decision was made over fears that the case could distract from the WEF’s mission and work.

Professor Larry Summers

With those released from November onward, files revealed that the Summers maintained a close relationship with Epstein even after his 2008 conviction and until his arrest in mid-2019.

Summers, who served as Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton from 1999 to 2001 and director of the White House’s National Economic Council under President Barack Obama in 2009 and 2010, said at the time he would stop teaching as Harvard conducted its own investigation into his relationship with Epstein.

The latest announcement means he will relinquish his Harvard professorship and no longer serve as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Neuroscientist Richard Axel

Axel, who won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, said on Wednesday that his past association with Epstein was “a serious error in judgment, which I deeply regret.”

“What has emerged about Epstein’s appalling conduct, the harm that he has caused to so many people, makes my association with him all the more painful and inexcusable,” his statement said.

According to an analysis by The New York Times, files reveal that Axel was a close associate of Epstein, visiting his Manhattan home several times and helping him connect with university officials.

Axel will step down as co-director of the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and is resigning from his post at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute but will continue research and teaching at Columbia.

CBS News Contributor Peter Attia

On February 23, the physician and health influencer resigned from his newly appointed role as a CBS News contributor after DOJ files revealed he had exchanged frequent and often crude messages with Epstein over years.

In early February, Attia posted an apology for his “embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible” messages to social media and resigned from his position as chief science officer of a protein bar company. And a spokesperson for Attia said on February 23 that he “stepped back to ensure his involvement didn’t become a distraction from the important work being done at CBS.”

Businessman Thomas Pritzker

In mid-February, Pritzker, the billionaire scion of the influential Pritzker family, announced that he had retired from his role as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels. This came after files revealed years of correspondence between him and Epstein, including after his 2008 conviction.

Regarding his relationship to Epstein as well as accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, Pritzker said: “I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner.”

Goldman Sachs Lawyer Kathy Ruemmler

On February 12, Ruemmler, a former White House counsel to Obama, resigned from her post as the bank’s chief legal officer and general counsel after files showed she maintained a close relationship with Epstein, whom in several messages she addressed as “Uncle Jeffrey.”

Other correspondence shows Ruemmler advised Epstein on how to respond to media inquiries and that she accepted gifts from the sex offender.

Prior to her resignation, which takes effect on June 30, Goldman Sachs said Ruemmler “regrets ever knowing” Epstein, per the Associated Press.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem

On February 13, Dubai-based logistics giant DP World announced that Sulayem had resigned from his role as chair and CEO, effective immediately.

Sulayem’s association with Epstein had long been known, and recently released files showed that the Emirati businessman exchanged hundreds of emails with Epstein over a period of years, many of them sexual in nature and one referencing an unspecified “torture video.”

Paul, Weiss Chairman Brad Karp

In early February, American law firm Paul, Weiss confirmed that Karp had stepped down as its chairman, a role he had held since 2008. This followed unsealed documents showing email correspondence between Karp and Epstein.

In one exchange, Karp sought Epstein’s help in putting his filmmaker son in touch with Woody Allen.

Without mentioning Epstein directly, Karp said in a statement that “recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm.”

However, Paul, Weiss said Karp will remain with the firm and “continue to focus his full-time attention to client service.”

Slovakian Minister Miroslav Lajčák

On January 31, the longtime diplomat and national security adviser to Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico resigned after DOJ documents revealed extensive correspondence with Epstein.

In one text exchange from 2018, the pair discussed “games” with women at one of Epstein’s properties, as well as an upcoming meeting involving Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Fico accepted the resignation in a video posted to Facebook, in which he described Lajčák as “an incredible source of experience in diplomacy and foreign policy,” according to the BBC.

Norwegian Diplomat Mona Juul

On February 9, Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the ambassador to Jordan and Iraq had been “relieved of her duties” after Epstein-related documents revealed “several details concerning Mona Juul.”

Juul and her husband, Terje Rød-Larsen, were named several times in the DOJ releases, and Norwegian media reported that Epstein left $10 million to the pair’s children in his will signed days before his death.

“Juul’s contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein revealed a serious lapse in judgment,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide said. “The situation makes it difficult to restore the trust that the role requires.”

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said it will continue investigating “Juul’s knowledge of and contact with Epstein” even after her resignation.

“The internal investigation will form the basis for the Ministry’s assessment of potential further consequences for Mona Juul’s employment,” it added.

U.K. House of Lords Member Peter Mandelson

In September, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired Mandelson from his role as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the U.S. over ties to Epstein.

In early February, the diplomat resigned from the Labour Party and the House of Lords—the U.K. Parliament’s upper chamber—after messages were published appearing to show that Mandelson shared market-sensitive information with Epstein during his tenure as the country’s business secretary in the late 2000s.

On February 23, Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of “misconduct in public office”—charges thought to stem from his association with the late sex offender.

Arab World Institute Head Jack Lang

On February 8, the former culture minister resigned as president of the Arab World Institute, a Paris-based research group focused on promoting understanding of Arab civilization and culture within France.

Lang’s name appeared hundreds of times in the DOJ files, and he is currently under investigation in France over suspected tax evasion, according to the BBC, reportedly connected to offshore firms set up by Epstein along with Lang’s daughter, Caroline.

The 86-year-old has denied any wrongdoing and called the allegations “baseless.”

New York School Of Visual Arts Department Chair David A. Ross

On February 3, Ross resigned from his position as chair of the MFA art practice program at New York’s School of Visual Arts, ARTnews reported.

“The School of Visual Arts is aware of correspondence between MFA Art Practice Chair David A. Ross and Jeffrey Epstein, released by the Department of Justice as part of the Epstein Files,” the school said in a statement to the outlet. “The College has accepted Mr. Ross’s resignation effective immediately.”

The pair maintained a relationship dating to 1995, the files revealed, with Ross at points describing Epstein as a “friend” and stating that his 2008 imprisonment for soliciting a minor for prostitution was “an undeserved punishment foisted upon you by jealous creeps.”

Ross told ARTnews that he knew Epstein as “a wealthy patron and a collector, and it was part of my job to befriend people who had the capacity and interest in supporting the museum.” He went on to say that his show of support to Epstein amid investigations into his sex trafficking charges was “a terrible mistake of judgment.”

What Happens Next

Calls for further resignations are ongoing over ties to Epstein, including those aimed at Casey Wasserman, CEO of the Wasserman talent agency, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stemming from his yearslong relationship with the financier.

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