Howard Lutnick Tells House Oversight His Epstein Interactions Were Virtually Nonexistent

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview that his interactions with Jeffrey Epstein were “virtually nonexistent,” describing three in-person encounters in 2005, 2011 and 2012, including a lunch on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In the transcript released by the committee, Lutnick said, “To the best of my recollection, those were the only three occasions in which I interacted with Epstein in person,” and added that “Each and every one was meaningless and inconsequential.”

AP News

Lutnick also told lawmakers that he and his wife were invited to Epstein’s New York home in 2005, where he said Epstein showed him a room with a massage table and candles, prompting him and his wife to leave.

CNN reported that the interview came after Justice Department files revealed his contact extended years beyond what he initially claimed in public, undercutting his assertion that he had cut ties with Epstein in 2005.

The BBC said Lutnick testified that he found Epstein’s comment about “the right kind of massage” “off-putting,” and that he and his wife “excused themselves and left the home.”

In a separate interview with House lawmakers, Lutnick backed away from a previous claim that Epstein had blackmailed people, telling the committee that he was only “speculating” when he made the assertion on a podcast.

The AP report quoted Lutnick saying, “I had no personal information. I was just speculating for a podcast,” and it said he later described his two other personal interactions as “meaningless and inconsequential.”

BBC

Democrats pressed Lutnick to explain why he met Epstein after initially deciding he would avoid him, and Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said, “If a Cabinet Secretary lies to the American public, they should no longer serve in that position.”

The BBC also reported that bipartisan calls for Lutnick to resign followed the revelation that he visited Epstein’s island long after he asserted he had cut off contact in 2005.

MS NOW said Lutnick downplayed a 2012 trip to Epstein’s private island in newly released testimony, and it quoted him saying, “If you said chitchat, I’d go with that,” about whether anything was discussed during the visit.

The House Oversight Committee released transcriptions of interviews with both Lutnick and Ted Waitt, the billionaire co-founder of Gateway computers, as part of its investigation into Epstein and his orbit.

The BBC said Waitt testified about his years-long relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, describing Maxwell’s role as “estate manager,” and it quoted Waitt saying, “He did seem to have significant influence over her, she always kind of look[ed] up to him and I was not comfortable with that.”

Waitt told lawmakers he had never visited Epstein’s home, flown on his planes or visited his private island, and he said, “Each of those were very brief and unintentional,” according to the AP report.

Newsweek’s transcript summary said Lutnick told the committee that in late 2012 he visited Epstein’s island for lunch with his wife, children, friends and staff, and it quoted him saying, “We sat outside, had lunch. It was boring. We left.”

The Guardian reported that Lutnick opened his testimony by saying, “I unequivocally condemn the conduct attributed to Jeffrey Epstein and everyone who participated in his illegal activities,” while also asserting he had no “personal or professional relationship” with Epstein despite the proximity of their addresses.