WASHINGTON — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faced questioning Wednesday during a House committee session focused on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as congressional members demanded explanations for Lutnick’s interactions with Epstein following his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The Cabinet member under President Donald Trump represents the most recent high-profile political figure to testify before the House Oversight Committee. Despite providing conflicting accounts regarding his connection to Epstein, Lutnick maintains his innocence and expressed willingness to participate in the private legislative session.
The recorded testimony served as an examination of congressional willingness to hold accountable influential individuals who maintained associations with Epstein despite public knowledge of his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Trump’s Republican leadership has attempted without success to distance itself from this matter for over twelve months.
Among Trump administration officials beyond the president himself, Lutnick holds the highest position mentioned in Epstein case documentation. Trump has repeatedly denied awareness of Epstein’s criminal activities and stated their association ended years prior.
Multiple Democratic lawmakers have demanded Lutnick’s resignation, while certain Republicans, including South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace, have insisted he should provide testimony to the Oversight committee.
Lutnick has minimized his connections to Epstein, who previously lived in his New York City neighborhood. During Democratic questioning at an unrelated hearing this year, he characterized their interaction as limited email exchanges and two meetings during 2011 and 2012.
However, this acknowledgment contradicted his earlier podcast statement from last year, where he claimed deciding to avoid being alone with Epstein after a 2005 visit to Epstein’s residence that upset both Lutnick and his spouse.
Epstein entered a guilty plea in 2008 to Florida state sex crime charges, including soliciting prostitution from a minor.
“I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with him,” Lutnick stated to senators in February during questioning about Epstein at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee session.
Yet Lutnick, formerly leading the Cantor Fitzgerald brokerage and investment firm, actually spent an hour at Epstein’s residence in 2011. His family subsequently visited Epstein’s notorious private island for lunch in 2012.
Released federal case documents revealed ongoing email correspondence between the two men. In 2018, Lutnick contacted Epstein regarding a proposed museum expansion in their shared neighborhood that would have obstructed views from their properties. Epstein contributed $50,000 to a 2017 dinner celebrating Lutnick, while Lutnick extended an invitation to Epstein for a 2015 Hillary Clinton fundraising event. Both men invested in identical business opportunities in 2013.
White House officials continue backing Lutnick, who championed Trump’s comprehensive tariff policies. He has maintained a lengthy relationship with Trump and assisted with fundraising efforts for both 2020 and 2024 campaigns.
The House Oversight Committee plans to receive testimony on May 29 from Pam Bondi, who departed her attorney general position last month.
Epstein died in a New York detention facility in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking allegations.
