Howard Lutnick, the Trump administration's commerce secretary, will testify before Congress this week about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting federal sex trafficking charges. The voluntary appearance before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform comes after newly released Justice Department files revealed the extent of contact between the two men over nearly a decade.
Lutnick and Epstein were neighbors on Manhattan's Upper East Side for more than ten years, an arrangement that led to conventional interactions alongside more substantial connections. In December 2012, Lutnick, his wife, and their four young children visited Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands for lunch. Seven months later, an aide to then-Prince Andrew sought Epstein's assessment of Lutnick, then CEO of the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald. "My neighbor smart," Epstein responded.
The relationship persisted years after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida. Email exchanges in the Justice Department files span from 2009 through 2018, showing sporadic contact through phone calls and charity events. Lutnick has not been accused of any impropriety tied to Epstein and maintains he did nothing wrong.
His credibility will face scrutiny Wednesday. For years, Lutnick denied having any association with Epstein, telling Forbes in 2024 that he "never had any association with Mr. Epstein." In an October podcast interview, he claimed he cut ties in 2005 after visiting Epstein's townhouse and becoming disgusted by what he witnessed. He said he stepped away because he never wanted to be "in the room with that disgusting person ever again."
Yet the released files contradict that timeline. Emails show Lutnick reached out to Epstein in 2009, years after claiming to have severed the relationship. The 2012 island visit with his children came well after he said he had ended contact. And his 2018 communication about a neighborhood development dispute reached Epstein's assistant, showing continued indirect connection.
The documents reveal additional complexity. In 2013, Epstein's accountant emailed Lutnick about arranging a meeting regarding his nanny's resume. Both men were signatories on a stock purchase agreement for AdFin, a digital advertising technology company, signed days after the island visit. The files also show Epstein donated $50,000 in late 2017 to a Jewish philanthropic organization hosting a Wall Street dinner honoring Lutnick.
Democrats have zeroed in on Lutnick's claim that Epstein was "the greatest blackmailer ever." They want answers about that assertion, especially after the Justice Department wrote last July that there was "no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals." Lutnick dodged similar questions at a Senate budget hearing last month, promising to "answer them all" before the House committee.
Matt Dallek, a historian and political management professor at George Washington University, said Lutnick faces significant risk testifying under oath. "It's risky business for him to go before Congress and testify about Epstein because lo and behold, he visited the island with his kids," Dallek said. He added that President Trump will be watching how Lutnick performs. "If Lutnick comes off as wishy-washy or ineffective, Trump could sour on him, especially if he wants a fall guy for the economy."
Some congressional Democrats have called for Lutnick's resignation or dismissal. Students at Haverford College, his alma mater, have demanded his name be removed from the school's library. A White House spokesperson defended Lutnick earlier this year, saying Trump has "assembled the best and most transformative Cabinet in modern history." The Commerce Department and White House did not respond to requests for comment about his pending testimony.
Lutnick left Cantor Fitzgerald last year when Trump named him commerce secretary. He is among at least six top Trump administration officials whose names appear in the released Epstein files. Trump himself appears in the documents but has not been accused of any crime in connection with Epstein and denies any wrongdoing.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Lutnick's shifting explanations are a credibility minefield waiting to detonate under congressional questioning."
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