Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Faces Intensifying Scrutiny Over Jeffrey Epstein Ties Following Closed-Door Congressional Interview

Lawmakers accuse Lutnick of evasiveness after admitting to visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s private island years after claiming he severed ties with the convicted financier, fueling bipartisan political fallout and renewed oversight pressure.

WASHINGTON | Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is facing mounting political and public scrutiny after acknowledging during a closed-door congressional interview that he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island years after previously claiming he had cut off contact with the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.

The testimony, delivered Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has intensified bipartisan attention surrounding the Trump administration’s handling of lingering Epstein-related controversies and raised new questions about transparency among senior administration officials.

According to lawmakers present during the hours-long interview, Lutnick admitted that he traveled to Epstein’s U.S. Virgin Islands property in 2012 — seven years after publicly asserting he had severed ties with Epstein in 2005. Democrats on the committee immediately challenged the credibility of Lutnick’s explanation, with several lawmakers describing his testimony as evasive and incomplete.

Representative James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, warned that any intentional misstatements to Congress could constitute a felony offense. Comer also defended the committee’s decision not to videotape the proceedings, stating that a transcript would eventually be released for public review.

Trump Administration Reverses Fast-Track ICE Training Program Amid Political Backlash and Safety Concerns

The Department of Homeland Security is restoring expanded training standards for new ICE recruits after bipartisan criticism, whistleblower allegations, and growing scrutiny over immigration enforcement tactics.

The Trump administration is abandoning its accelerated training initiative for newly hired Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, signaling a significant policy recalibration after months of criticism surrounding immigration enforcement practices, officer preparedness, and declining public support for ICE operations nationwide.

According to administration officials familiar with internal discussions, the Department of Homeland Security is overhauling the expedited training pipeline used to rapidly deploy thousands of new deportation officers hired during the administration’s aggressive immigration expansion campaign.

The shift represents one of the clearest acknowledgments yet that the administration’s rapid enforcement buildup generated operational and political complications that now require correction.

Under the revised plan, veteran ICE personnel will be dispatched to field offices nationwide to provide supplemental instruction and mentorship to agents who previously completed shortened academy programs. DHS officials are also developing broader reforms aimed at strengthening on-the-job training standards for Enforcement and Removal Operations, the division responsible for arrests, detentions, and deportations of undocumented immigrants.

Collins Under Fire: Democratic Ad Targets Maine Senator on Healthcare Costs and Iran War Votes

An ad attacking Sen. Susan Collins in Maine claimed that she voted “to raise healthcare costs and raise insurance premiums,” as well as give President Donald Trump “a blank check for his war in Iran.” But neither claim fully explains Collins’ more nuanced position on those issues.

For the healthcare claims, the ad cites her vote in September against a Democratic bill to, among other things, temporarily fund the federal government and permanently extend enhanced Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies beyond 2025. But Collins did support extending the subsidies with some restrictions — however, she said the extension should be addressed separately from spending bills proposed to prevent or end a government shutdown.

As for the Iran war, Collins initially voted against multiple war powers resolutions filed by Democrats to require the Trump administration to get congressional authorization to continue the joint U.S.-Israeli operation that began with airstrikes on Iran in late February. But she also signaled that she would change her vote to require authorization by Congress if the conflict with Iran lasted longer than 60 days — and she did. That resolution ultimately failed.

The anti-Collins ad is being sponsored by Majority Forward, a nonprofit registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(4) issue advocacy organization. Majority Forward is aligned with Senate Democrats who hope to defeat Collins in the race for her long-held Senate seat in Maine.

Semafor reported that the liberal group is spending $600,000 to run the 30-second ad statewide. It began airing on April 23, according to AdImpact, which tracks political advertising.

Maine families are already being squeezed because Susan Collins voted with Donald Trump to raise health care prices.

Now she’s voted to give Trump a blank check for his war in Iran, raising prices across the economy.

Tell Susan Collins: stop supporting Trump’s wars. pic.twitter.com/4BAAg5oZGe

— Majority Forward (@majority_fwd) April 17, 2026