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U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has downplayed his relationship with child molester Jeffrey Epstein after newly released emails shared details of their interactions.
In the face of calls for his resignation, Mr. Lutnick told a Senate committee on Tuesday that he “barely knew” Mr. Epstein, but the emails appear to contradict Mr. Epstein’s previous accounts of their relationship.
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“I had nothing to do with him, almost nothing to do with that person,” Lutnick said.
The Commerce Secretary is the latest member of the political and economic elite to come under pressure over ties to disgraced financiers.
President Donald Trump’s administration has come under particular scrutiny for its handling of government files related to Epstein and the president’s own long-standing relationship with the convicted sex offender.
During Tuesday’s hearing, lawmakers followed up on remarks Lutnick made on a podcast last year, explaining that after meeting Epstein in 2005, he vowed to “never be in a room with that asshole again.”
Lutnick said he made the decision after Epstein showed him and his wife a prominent massage table in his home and made sexually suggestive comments about it.
However, recently released emails show that Mr. Lutnick visited Mr. Epstein’s private island in 2012 for a lunch meeting and may have met him on other occasions.
“You led people to believe that you cut off all contact with Jeffrey Epstein after the encounter between you and your wife at his apartment in 2005,” Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen told Lutnick during a committee hearing.
“But as you know, Epstein’s files show a completely different record of interactions.”
However, Lutnick downplayed his interactions with Epstein, insisting that nothing “inconvenient” happened during the 2012 encounter.
“I know, and my wife knows, against all odds, that I did nothing wrong,” Lutnick said.
The apparent contradictions came to light after the Justice Department released 3 million pages of Epstein-related records on January 30 to meet the requirements of the bipartisan Epstein File Transparency Act.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting minors into prostitution, but for years continued to enjoy close relationships with some of the most powerful figures in politics, business, culture and science.
In 2019, Epstein was rearrested and charged with federal sex trafficking crimes. That same year, he was found dead in his prison cell, which the coroner ruled a suicide.
His ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein’s crimes, including child sex trafficking.
But critics argue that few of those involved in Epstein’s crimes have faced any consequences.
The British government is currently facing a political crisis over Epstein’s relationship with former ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson.
In October, King Charles III also stripped his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his royal titles after mounting evidence of links to Epstein.
But there is little indication that the United States is on the verge of making a similar calculation. President Trump has previously criticized the scrutiny of the Epstein file as a “hoax” and a Democratic-led “fraud.”
Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who spearheaded the Epstein File Transparency Act, both called on Lutnick to resign.
“This is tearing down the British government. It could tear down the monarchy. It’s tearing down the elite,” Democrat Khanna said on Monday. “What are we doing here in the United States to confront the Epstein class? We have a secretary of commerce who is familiar with the files.”
Massey, a Republican, wrote on social media that Lutnick’s contradictory statements raise issues that need to be addressed.
“Long after Lutnick said they had broken up, and even after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes, Lutnick continued to go to the island and do business with Epstein,” Massey said. “What else is Lutnick hiding about his relationship with Epstein?”
Still, at a news conference Tuesday, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt defended Mr. Lutnick.
“Secretary Lutnick remains a very important member of President Trump’s team, and the president has his full support,” he told reporters.
Mr. Levitt also dismissed reports that Mr. Maxwell was seeking a pardon from Mr. Trump, saying the issue was “not a priority” for the administration.
