Obama’s top economic adviser Lawrence Summers to leave the White House at end of year

Top economic adviser to leave White House

WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama’s top economic adviser plans to leave the administration at the end of the year.

The White House said in a statement that Lawrence Summers will leave his post as director of the National Economic Council to return to Harvard University.

Summers departure comes amid a sluggish economic recovery that has seen unemployment hover near 10 percent. He would be the third high-level member of the Obama economic team to leave this year, following the resignations of budget director Peter Orszag and Christina Romer, head of the Council of Economic Advisers.