Dr. Peter Attia has stepped down from his TheNews contributor role weeks after crude emails he exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein were made public.

In a statement, his spokesperson said that his role at TheNews "was newly established and had not yet meaningfully begun" and that "he stepped back to ensure his involvement didn't become a distraction from the important work being done at CBS." TheNews had no comment.

Attia, a doctor and author known for his research on longevity, was one of 19 contributors that TheNews announced on Jan. 27. Days later, the Department of Justice released its latest batch of files related to the Epstein case, with Attia's name appearing hundreds of times.

Shortly thereafter, on social media for the "embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible" emails he exchanged with the late sex offender. He denied any involvement in criminal activity, said he never flew on Epstein's plane, never visited his island and never attended "any sex parties."

He has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing.