New emails showed that Lawrence H. Summers, a former Harvard president, had stayed in touch with Jeffrey Epstein for years after Mr. Epstein faced sex trafficking charges.
Mr. Summers, a former treasury secretary, had sought money from Mr. Epstein for a poetry foundation led by his wife, Elisa New, an emerita Harvard literature professor.
President Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate the dealings of Democrats with Jeffrey Epstein, after a week in which his own relationship with the convicted sex offender was in the spotlight.
President Trump’s announcement came after Democrats released emails earlier this week suggesting that Mr. Trump’s knowledge of Mr. Epstein’s sex trafficking operation was deeper than previously known.