Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledges meetings with Epstein that contradict previous claims

WASHINGTON — Under questioning from Democrats on Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged that he had met with Jeffrey Epstein twice after the late financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a child, reversing Lutnick’s previous claim that he had cut ties with him after 2005.

Lutnick again downplayed his relationship with the disgraced financier, who was once his neighbor in New York City, as he was questioned by Democrats during a subcommittee hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He described their contact as a handful of emails and a pair of meetings that were years apart.

“I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with him,” Lutnick told lawmakers.

But Lutnick is facing growing scrutiny, including calls for his resignation, from lawmakers after the release of case files on Epstein contradicted Lutnick’s claims on a podcast last year that he had decided to “never be in the room” with Epstein again after a 2005 tour of Epstein’s home that disturbed Lutnick and his wife.

The Commerce secretary told senators Tuesday that he and his family had lunch with Epstein on his private island in 2012 and he had another hourlong engagement at Epstein’s home in 2011. Lutnick, a member of President Trump’s Cabinet, is the highest-profile U.S. official to face bipartisan calls for his resignation amid revelations of his ties to Epstein. His acknowledgment comes as lawmakers are grasping for what accountability looks like amid the revelations contained in what’s known as the Epstein files.

In countries such as the United Kingdom, the Epstein files have triggered resignations and the stripping of royal privileges, but so far, U.S. officials have not met the same level of pressure.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Lutnick “remains a very important member of President Trump’s team, and the president fully supports the secretary.”

Senators want to dig into Lutnick’s ties to Epstein

Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the Democrat who questioned Lutnick, told him: “There’s not an indication that you yourself engaged in any wrongdoing with Jeffrey Epstein. It’s the fact that you believe that you misled the country and the Congress based on your earlier statements.”

Van Hollen stopped short of calling for Lutnick’s resignation on Monday but requested documentation from Lutnick on any of his ties to Epstein.

“It’s absolutely essential that he provide Congress with those documents, given the misrepresentations he’s made, and then we’ll go from there,” he said.

Lutnick, during the Senate hearing, said he would give that request some thought, adding, “I have nothing to hide.”

However, several Senate Republicans were also questioning Lutnick’s relationship with Epstein. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said the visit to Epstein’s private island “would raise questions.” And Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters, “It’s something I’m concerned with.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) did not mention Lutnick by name but told reporters Tuesday that those mentioned in the Epstein files are “going to have to answer questions around that.”

“I think the American people are going to have to make judgments about whether or not they think those answers are sufficient,” added Thune.

Tillis also stayed away from calling for Lutnick to leave his post but added that “he would do himself a service by just laying out exactly what did and what did not happen over the course of what seems to be an interesting relationship that included business entanglements.”

A pair of House members call for resignation

Meanwhile, House members who initiated the legislative effort to force the release of the files are calling for Lutnick to resign. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky called for that over the weekend after emails were released that alluded to the meetings between Lutnick and Epstein.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) joined Massie in pressuring Lutnick to step down on Monday.

“Based on the evidence, he should be out of the Cabinet,” Khanna said.

He added: “It’s not about any particular person. In this country, we have to make a decision. Are we going to allow the rich and powerful people who are friends and [had] no problem doing business and showing up with a pedophile who is raping underage girls, are we just going to allow them to skate?”

Groves writes for the Associated Press.