Lutnick Tells House Panel No Personal or Professional Relationship With Epstein 

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a House panel behind closed doors Wednesday that his interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with whom he met three times, were limited to being neighbors, according to a person familiar with the testimony.

Lutnick told members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that he met three times with Epstein and never saw Epstein with any young women. He said he never witnessed anything inappropriate. The two were neighbors from 2005 to 2019. 

Lutnick purchased the property near Epstein’s home in 1997 but did not move in until renovations were complete in 2005. 

The commerce secretary told the committee that he and Epstein had no personal or professional relationship. Lutnick said he and his wife visited Epstein’s home for coffee and a short tour when they became neighbors, in a meeting that lasted about 10 to 15 minutes. 

Lutnick said that’s where he saw a massage table, according to a person familiar with the testimony. He said he decided he didn’t want a personal or professional relationship with Epstein. 

A massive batch of files released by the Justice Department in January included emails showing Lutnick had apparently visited Epstein’s private island for lunch in 2012. The emails also showed Lutnick invited Epstein to a November 2015 fundraiser at his financial firm for Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Democrats on the committee were critical after the closed door testimony.

“Howard Lutnick should resign. That was absolutely mindboggling what we just heard,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., told reporters.

“He was evasive, nervous, dishonest. He says he was never in the room with Epstein again after the first time he met him, yet he then admitted he was in the room with Epstein. I had to ask him whether he and I were in the same room just now because I couldn’t understand his meaning of in the same room,” Subramanyam said.

The commerce secretary said he and his family were invited to Epstein’s home for lunch when he was in the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Lutnick said he didn’t know how Epstein’s assistant knew he was visiting the islands and thought it was unsettling. The families had a short lunch. 

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said that Lutnick was transparent on Wednesday.

“The only thing that I’d seen that Lutnick did wrong was [he] wasn’t 100% truthful on the brief visit to the island with his family. He corrected that in his opening statement,” Comer told reporters. Lutnick had previously stated he cut off contact with Epstein by the time of the island meeting.

“If we find that there were any misstatements by Lutnick, it’s a felony to lie to Congress and he’ll be held accountable,” Comer said.

Lutnick said he and Epstein met one time to discuss scaffolding in Epstein’s foyer. 

Reuters contributed to this report.