Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick testifies throughout a throughout a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Associated Companies listening to on the Commerce Division’s 2027 finances request in Washington, DC on April 22, 2026.
Nathan Posner | Anadolu | Getty Pictures
Lutnick’s interview, which won’t be below oath, started round 11 a.m. ET. The interview was not being recorded on video.
Lutnick was a New York Metropolis neighbor of Epstein, who killed himself in jail in August 2019 after his arrest on federal youngster intercourse trafficking costs.
Lutnick beforehand stated he minimize contact with Epstein in 2005, a number of years earlier than Epstein pleaded responsible in Florida state courtroom to soliciting an underage lady for prostitution.
However DOJ recordsdata confirmed the 2 males remained involved within the years after that.
Lutnick admitted to a Senate committee in February that he, his household and nannies visited Epstein’s personal island within the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2012.
Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who’s chair of the committee, advised reporters that Lutnick stated that he had solely talked to Epstein 3 times over a decade.
Comer accused Democrats on the panel of attempting to make political hay of the interview and of mendacity about particulars of the Epstein investigation for that goal.
“If we discover that there have been any misstatements by Lutnick, it is a felony to mislead Congress, and he’ll be held accountable,” Comer stated. “It is too dangerous it is not a felony for a member of Congress to mislead the media, or we … would have a variety of Democrats that might be having to lawyer up proper now.
Earlier, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., advised reporters throughout a break within the interview., “We now we all know why that interview was not videotaped. “If [President] Donald Trump had seen the video transcript, he would have fired Howard Lutnick. It was actually embarrassing.”
“He was requested very easy questions on whether or not he regretted deceptive the American folks,” Khanna stated. “I imply, he stated that he would by no means see Epstein once more in 2005, and everybody is aware of that he took his spouse and youngsters to see Epstein in 2012, and but it was simply contortions and lies and no acknowledgement that he misled the American public. And when you noticed the exchanges that my colleagues had with him, you’ll see he made a farce of the English language.”
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat, stated, “I really feel very snug saying that Howard Lutnick is a pathological liar who’s enabling essentially the most egregious cover-up in American historical past.”
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, R-Va., stated Lutnick answered that “he does not keep in mind” why he accepted an invite to Epstein’s island, given his declare that he minimize off ties with him in 2005.
That is growing information. Test again for updates.
