Lutnick questioned over Epstein ties, shifting account of when contact ended

House investigators spent hours pressing Howard Lutnick on a question with legal and political stakes: when, exactly, the commerce secretary cut off contact with Jeffrey Epstein. In a closed-door session on Wednesday, Lutnick became the first Trump Cabinet official questioned by the House Oversight Committee in its Epstein inquiry, a politically sensitive probe that now reaches into the conduct of a sitting cabinet secretary.

The dispute centers on Lutnick’s public claim that he ended the relationship in 2005. Department of Justice documents told a different story. They showed a planned 2012 visit to Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Lutnick later acknowledged that he had lunch with Epstein there during a family vacation with his wife, four children and nannies. The files also included an email from Lutnick’s wife to Epstein’s assistant saying, “We would love to join you for lunch,” and business records showing Lutnick and Epstein signed papers in 2012 to acquire an advertising company called Adfin.

That paper trail gave lawmakers a concrete test of Lutnick’s credibility. Democrats on the Oversight Committee said he was evasive and dishonest and called for his resignation, arguing that his account of the friendship shifted in ways that could matter well beyond reputation. A person familiar with the testimony said Lutnick told lawmakers he met Epstein three times, described them as neighbors and said he never saw anything inappropriate. Those claims, if accurate, narrow the relationship but do not resolve why the 2012 records exist after Lutnick said the contact had ended seven years earlier.

Republicans on the panel took a different view. House Oversight Chair James Comer said Lutnick was forthcoming and warned that lying to Congress could be a felony. But the format of the interview drew sharp criticism from Democrats, who said a transcribed session that was neither under oath nor videotaped reduced transparency and weakened accountability at a moment when Congress is examining both Epstein’s network and the federal government’s handling of the case.

The committee’s work is far from over. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and billionaire Leon Black are expected to appear before the panel in the coming weeks. Democrats have also said they want additional public testimony from Lutnick if they regain control of the House, keeping pressure on an episode that now carries legal, ethical and political exposure for the administration.