Lutnick Confirms Jeffrey Epstein Lunch as Scrutiny Intensifies/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is facing bipartisan calls to resign following newly released Epstein-related documents. Lutnick testified before a Senate panel, denying any meaningful relationship with Jeffrey Epstein despite contradicting emails. Lawmakers are questioning discrepancies between his past statements and newly revealed communications.
Howard Lutnick Epstein Controversy Quick Looks
- Lutnick denies having a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein during Senate testimony
- Newly released Justice Department files show continued contact after 2005
- Emails suggest a lunch visit to Epstein’s private island in 2012
- Bipartisan lawmakers call for Lutnick’s resignation
- Lutnick disputes claims, saying interactions were minimal and family-present
Deep Look: Howard Lutnick Epstein Controversy
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pushed back forcefully against calls for his resignation on Tuesday, telling senators that he “barely had anything to do with” convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, even as newly released federal documents cast doubt on his past statements.
Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, Lutnick addressed revelations from a massive trove of Epstein-related files released by the Justice Department in January. Those records include emails indicating that Lutnick visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island for lunch years after previously claiming he had severed all ties.
Lutnick on Tuesday said he had lunch with Jeffrey Epstein, even after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes, confirming documents released by the Justice Department.
Lutnick said the two met while traveling through the Caribbean on a boat, and that the interaction occurred when he was with his wife and children. He said he “barely had anything to do” with Epstein.
“I have nothing to hide,” Lutnick said on Tuesday in response to questions from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. “Absolutely nothing.”
Under questioning from Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Lutnick acknowledged limited contact but insisted the relationship had been exaggerated.
“You totally misrepresented the extent of your relationship with him to the Congress, to the American people and to the survivors of his despicable criminal and predatory acts,” Van Hollen told Lutnick, though he added that there is no indication that Lutnick engaged in any wrongdoing with Epstein.
“I did not have any relationship with him,” Lutnick said. “I barely had anything to do with that person.”
Lutnick told lawmakers that over a 14-year period, he and Epstein exchanged approximately 10 emails and met only three times. He said the 2012 island visit occurred incidentally while he was traveling by boat nearby and emphasized that his family was present during the brief lunch.
Despite those assurances, critics point to inconsistencies between Lutnick’s testimony and earlier public remarks. Lutnick had previously stated that he cut off all contact with Epstein in 2005 after an encounter at Epstein’s New York townhouse, where the financier allegedly made a sexually suggestive comment involving a massage table.
The newly released emails appear to contradict that claim. In addition to the 2012 island visit, the documents show that Epstein’s assistant forwarded an invitation from Lutnick in 2015 to a fundraiser at his financial firm for then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
The disclosures have fueled bipartisan criticism and renewed scrutiny of Lutnick, who previously served as CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald before joining the Trump administration. Lawmakers from both parties have publicly suggested that the contradictions raise concerns about judgment and transparency.
Lutnick told senators that neither he nor his family had done anything improper.
“I know and my wife knows that I have done absolutely nothing wrong in any possible regard,” he said.
Lutnick is one of several high-profile figures facing renewed examination as the Epstein files expose the breadth of the financier’s elite social and political connections. President Donald Trump and other prominent leaders have also been drawn into the public reckoning, though none have been charged with wrongdoing related to Epstein.
The Senate hearing came one day after Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions during a deposition before the House Oversight Committee, invoking her Fifth Amendment rights. Her silence drew sharp criticism from both Republicans and Democrats and intensified pressure on officials connected to Epstein.
As lawmakers continue reviewing millions of documents, the controversy surrounding Lutnick shows no sign of fading, with resignation calls likely to intensify in the days ahead.
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