Quick Read
- Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2012 with his family.
- The admission contradicts Lutnick’s previous claims of limited contact with Epstein, especially after 2005.
- Newly released Justice Department files show interactions, including business dealings, extended to 2014.
- Lutnick faces bipartisan calls for resignation from Congress members over alleged misrepresentation.
- The White House has publicly affirmed its full support for Secretary Lutnick.
WASHINGTON (Azat TV) – United States Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick confirmed Tuesday that he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean in 2012 with his family, an admission that comes amidst intensifying bipartisan calls for his resignation following new revelations about the extent of his relationship with the convicted sex offender. Lutnick, who previously served as Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. and BGC Group before being appointed to President Donald Trump’s cabinet in February 2025, made the acknowledgment during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, where he faced pointed questions about discrepancies between his past statements and recently released Justice Department files concerning Epstein.
During the hearing, ostensibly focused on broadband funding, Democratic senators pressed Lutnick on why his interactions with Epstein appeared more extensive than he had previously disclosed. Lutnick reiterated his stance that he had no personal relationship with Epstein, stating, “I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person, OK?” He maintained that he had met Epstein only “three times over 14 years” and insisted he had “done absolutely nothing wrong in any possible regard.”
Lutnick’s Disclosures on Epstein Island Visit
The Commerce Secretary confirmed that the 2012 visit to Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands occurred during a family vacation. “My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple with, they were there as well, with their children, and we had lunch on the island — that is true — for an hour,” Lutnick told lawmakers. He described the interaction as having nothing “untoward” about it but could not recall the reason for the visit. This admission directly contradicted previous assertions by Lutnick, who had suggested he distanced himself from Epstein as early as 2005, years before Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting the prostitution of a minor.
The new details emerged from a batch of Epstein files recently released by the Justice Department, which have shed light on the contacts between Epstein and numerous high-profile individuals. These documents show that Lutnick and Epstein were in communication years after 2005. For instance, one email indicated Epstein had drinks planned with Lutnick in May 2011, and other records showed business dealings between the two as recently as 2014, according to CBS News. Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., highlighted the apparent contradiction, stating during the hearing, “You were planning a trip to the private island with your family. That sounds like somebody you know well enough to call up and say, ‘Let’s get our families together, let’s visit each other.’”
Growing Calls for Commerce Secretary’s Resignation
The revelations have intensified calls for Lutnick’s resignation from his Cabinet post. Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the subcommittee’s ranking member, asserted that the issue was not wrongdoing but Lutnick’s alleged misrepresentation of his relationship with Epstein to Congress, the American people, and Epstein’s victims. “The files show that you had interactions with Epstein over the next 13 years, including long after he was convicted in 2008,” Van Hollen stated.
A growing number of Democrats, including Senators Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., have publicly called for Lutnick to step down or provide further explanation. House members Ro Khanna, Ted Lieu, and Melanie Stansbury have echoed these demands. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who co-authored the bill to release the Epstein files, also called on Lutnick to resign, telling CNN, “He was in business with Jeffrey Epstein. And this was many years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted.” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer also stated his belief that “Mr. Lutnick needs to step down immediately.” Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, expressed concerns about individuals who claimed limited interaction with Epstein but whose statements are now contradicted by evidence, questioning their “credibility and integrity.”
White House Stands by Howard Lutnick
Despite the mounting pressure, the White House has publicly defended Secretary Lutnick. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Tuesday, “Secretary Lutnick remains a very important member of President Trump’s team, and the president fully supports the secretary.” On Monday, White House spokesman Kush Desai added that “President Trump has assembled the best and most transformative Cabinet in modern history. The entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick and the Department of Commerce, remains focused on delivering for the American people.” Last week, President Trump, when asked about the Epstein files and Lutnick’s appearance in them, said he had not read the new files but was “sure they’re fine. Otherwise, there would have been major headlines.”
Lutnick explained that he first met Epstein when they became neighbors in New York. He recounted an instance in October 2025 on “Pod Force One with Miranda Devine” where he and his wife toured Epstein’s home, quickly excusing themselves after Epstein made a sexual innuendo in a room with a massage table. Lutnick claimed that after that encounter, he and his wife decided he would “never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again,” and that he was “never in the room with him socially, for business, or even philanthropy.” However, the newly released documents and his own admission of the island visit challenge this narrative of complete disengagement.
The ongoing scrutiny of Secretary Lutnick’s past interactions with Jeffrey Epstein, particularly the inconsistencies between his public statements and the newly disclosed documents, underscores the enduring political ramifications for public figures whose connections to Epstein are brought to light. The bipartisan nature of the resignation calls, even as the White House maintains its support, highlights the significant political cost associated with perceived lack of transparency regarding such sensitive associations.