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.