Lutnick Testifies to Congress About His Close Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Arrow

Lutnick continued to evade lawmakers' questions about his relationship with Epstein during the closed-door deposition

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick testified today before the House Oversight Committee about his personal relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. During the closed-door deposition - which is part of the House Oversight Committee's ongoing investigation into the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files - lawmakers said that Lutnick's testimony was full of lies, distortions, and evasions about his relationship with Epstein. Lutnick reportedly claimed he could remember nothing about his visit to Epstein's island, and refused to answer if he had spoken to Donald Trump about his testimony.

REMINDER: Lutnick has previously lied about the extent of his relationship with Epstein, claiming that he cut off all contact with Epstein in 2005 and saying he was "never in the room with him" after that. However, the files revealed that Lutnick emailed with Epstein after he said he cut off contact and met with him multiple times in the years following, including traveling to Epstein's private island in 2012. Both Democrats and Republicans have called for Lutnick's resignation over his connections to Epstein.

In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:

"Howard Lutnick has already lied about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein - and it seems like there's more he's still not being honest about. Despite their claims, it's clear that Lutnick and Donald Trump were friends with Epstein - so it's no wonder the Trump administration spent months stonewalling the release of the Epstein files. Instead of hiding behind closed doors and blocking the full release of the files, Trump, Lutnick, and the rest of this administration owe the American people transparency and accountability."

There are still up to 3 million pages of the Epstein files that have not been released, and an investigation found that Trump's Department of Justice withheld some of the Epstein files related to serious allegations about Trump. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was fired by Trump last month, reportedly in part because of her handling of the Epstein files, is also set to appear in front of the House Oversight Committee over her mishandling of the files.