Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged meeting with Jeffrey Epstein twice after the late financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a child, reversing previous statements that he had cut ties with Epstein in 2005. The admission came during questioning from Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday, according to statements released by the Associated Press.
Lutnick, a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, is now facing growing calls for his resignation, a situation mirroring scrutiny faced by other prominent figures linked to Epstein. The renewed attention stems from the recent release of case files that contradicted Lutnick’s earlier account of his relationship with Epstein, initially shared on a podcast. He had claimed he decided “never be in the room” with Epstein again after a 2005 visit to Epstein’s home that he and his wife found disturbing.
Testifying before the subcommittee, Lutnick described his contact with Epstein as limited to “a handful of emails and a pair of meetings that were years apart,” and again downplayed the nature of their relationship, characterizing it as minimal. However, he confirmed that he and his family had lunch with Epstein on his private island in 2012, and that he had a separate hour-long engagement at Epstein’s home in 2011. He stated the 2012 lunch occurred while on a family vacation, with his wife, four children, and nannies present, along with another couple and their children.
“I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation,” Lutnick testified, as reported by ABC News. When asked if he observed anything inappropriate during the visit, Lutnick responded that he only saw staff members working on the island.
The revelations have prompted criticism from Democrats, with Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland accusing Lutnick of “totally misrepresented” the extent of their relationship “to the Congress, to the American people and to the survivors of his despicable criminal and predatory acts,” according to reporting from Politico.
Lutnick is the highest-ranking Trump administration official prominently named in the Epstein files, according to CNN. The Commerce Secretary’s situation is unfolding alongside increased scrutiny of entertainment mogul Casey Wasserman, similarly linked to Epstein through the released files. Calls for Lutnick’s resignation are bipartisan, as reported by The Hill.
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee has not announced any further hearings regarding Lutnick’s testimony or his ties to Epstein.
