WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admitted under questioning from Democrats on Tuesday that he met with Jeffrey Epstein twice after his 2008 prostitution conviction, rebutting Lutnick’s previous assertion that he severed ties with the late financier after 2005.
Lutnick again downplayed his relationship with the disgraced financier, who was once his neighbor in New York City, when questioned by Democrats during a Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee hearing. He described their contact as a few emails and two meetings several years apart.
“I have no relationship with him. I have almost no relationship with him,” Lutnick told lawmakers.
But Lutnick is facing increasing scrutiny, including calls from lawmakers for his resignation, as the release of the Epstein case file contradicts Lutnick’s statement on a podcast last year that Lutnick decided to “no longer be in the room with Epstein” after visiting Epstein’s home in 2005 and disturbing Lutnick and his wife.
The Commerce secretary told senators on Tuesday that he and his family actually had lunch with Epstein on his private island in 2012 and had another hour-long date at Epstein’s home in 2011. Lutnick, a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, is the highest-profile U.S. official to face bipartisan calls to resign following revelations of his ties to Epstein. His admission comes as lawmakers consider liability in the disclosures contained in the so-called Epstein documents.
In countries such as Britain, Epstein’s documents have triggered resignations and the stripping of royal privileges, but so far U.S. officials have not faced the same level of retaliation.
Senators want to learn more about Lutnick’s ties to Epstein
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who questioned Lutnick, told him that “there is no indication of any wrongdoing on your part with Jeffrey Epstein. In fact, you believe that your previous statements misled the country and Congress.”
Van Hollen, D-Md., stopped short of calling for Lutnick’s resignation on Monday but asked Lutnick to provide documents about any of his ties to Epstein.
“Given the false statements he made, it’s absolutely necessary that he provide these documents to Congress and then we go from there,” he said.
Lutnick told a Senate hearing he would consider the request, adding, “I have nothing to hide.”
However, some Senate Republicans also questioned Lutnick’s ties to Epstein. Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker said a visit to Epstein’s private island “would cause problems.” “It’s something that concerns me,” Republican Sen. Thom Tillis told reporters.
Tillis stopped short of calling for Lutnick’s resignation, but added that “he would be doing himself a favor simply by saying exactly what did and did not happen over the course of what appeared to be an interesting relationship, including a business entanglement.”
Two House members call for resignation
Meanwhile, House members who sponsored the legislative effort to force the release of the documents have called on Lutnick to resign. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., called for this over the weekend after emails suggesting a meeting between Lutnick and Epstein were made public.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., joined Massie on Monday in pressuring Lutnick to step down.
“Based on the evidence, he should step down from the cabinet,” Khanna said.
He added, “This has nothing to do with any particular person. In this country, we have to make a decision. Are we going to allow rich and powerful people who are friends and have no problem doing business and show up with pedophiles who are raping underage girls, are we going to allow them to skate?”