Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is set to address his connections to Jeffrey Epstein during a voluntary House Oversight Committee interview this Wednesday amid ongoing investigations into Epstein’s activities.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will face scrutiny regarding his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein during a voluntary interview with the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. This session is part of a broader investigation into Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges.
Lutnick’s decision to appear before the congressional panel follows a pledge by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., to initiate a vote to subpoena his testimony. The attendance of lawmakers at the hearing remains uncertain, as the House of Representatives is currently in a district work period, commonly referred to as recess. However, Lutnick may encounter challenging questions from House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., and other Democrats who have accused him of concealing the full extent of his past relationship with Epstein.
A spokesperson for the Department of Commerce stated, “The Secretary looks forward to addressing any questions on the record when he testifies voluntarily before the Oversight Committee. He looks forward to putting to rest the inaccurate and baseless claims in the media designed to distract from his historic work underway at the Commerce Department.”
Lutnick, a billionaire businessman and former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, disclosed in a previous interview with the New York Post that he severed ties with Epstein in 2005. The two were once neighbors in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, with their townhomes sharing a wall. However, during a Senate hearing in February, Lutnick acknowledged that he and his family had a brief lunch with Epstein in 2012 at his private Caribbean island, contradicting his earlier claims that their contact had ended in 2005.
During the Senate hearing, Lutnick explained, “We left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife. All together. We were on a family vacation. I don’t recall why we did it, but we did.” This visit occurred four years after Epstein was convicted in Florida state court for soliciting a minor for prostitution. Critics have condemned the leniency of Epstein’s sentence, which included just 13 months in prison and immunity from federal prosecution.
Democrats on the committee have highlighted inconsistencies in Lutnick’s statements during his testimony before the House Budget Committee in April. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., pressed Lutnick, asking, “Why did you lie about your relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?” Lutnick did not directly respond, instead arguing that Dean’s question was irrelevant to the hearing’s focus on the Commerce Department’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year.
Despite the scrutiny, Lutnick has maintained that his connection to Epstein was limited, and he has not been accused of any wrongdoing. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., commended Lutnick for his willingness to participate in the transcribed interview. “I commend his demonstrated commitment to transparency and appreciate his willingness to engage with the Committee,” Comer stated in a March message to Fox News Digital. “I look forward to his testimony.”
Lutnick is not the only former Trump administration official facing questions this month as part of the committee’s investigation into Epstein. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is scheduled to provide a transcribed interview on May 29 after being subpoenaed by the committee. Both Democrats and some Republicans have threatened to pursue contempt charges against Bondi over her handling of Epstein-related files if she did not agree to testify.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.
According to Fox News, Lutnick’s testimony may shed light on the ongoing investigation into Epstein’s network and the implications for those connected to him.