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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Wednesday became the first Cabinet official in President Donald Trump’s second administration to sit for a transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee as lawmakers intensify scrutiny over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the federal government’s handling of the investigation into him.
Lutnick, who was previously Epstein’s Manhattan neighbor, faced hours of questioning behind closed doors on Capitol Hill after his name appeared in hundreds of Justice Department documents tied to Epstein’s criminal case.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and later died in a New York jail cell. Authorities ruled his death a suicide. Over the years, judges and lawmakers have said Epstein abused and trafficked numerous underage girls, many of whom later came forward publicly.
The Trump administration has faced growing backlash — including from parts of Trump’s political base — over accusations that the federal government has not been fully transparent about the Epstein investigation and related records.
Trump initially opposed congressional efforts to release additional Epstein-related files before later signing legislation requiring the documents’ disclosure. The release of those files contributed to the firing of former Attorney General Pam Bondi after criticism over the Justice Department’s handling of the material.
The documents referenced Trump, Lutnick and several other high-profile figures, though neither Trump nor Lutnick has been accused of participating in Epstein’s crimes.
Records released earlier this year showed Lutnick remained in contact with Epstein after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution, including involving a minor, and served a 13-month jail sentence.
During congressional testimony in February, Lutnick acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private Caribbean island with his family in 2012 — contradicting previous claims that he and his wife had cut ties with Epstein around 2005.
Lawmakers from both parties emerged from Wednesday’s interview offering sharply different interpretations of Lutnick’s testimony.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said Lutnick was unable to explain why he traveled to Epstein’s island in 2012.
“It’s mind-boggling,” Subramanyam said, also criticizing the committee for not videotaping the interview.
A Commerce Department spokesperson defended Lutnick afterward, saying he answered nearly 400 questions during the session and repeatedly argued that “three encounters do not constitute a relationship.”
Rep. Ro Khanna, another Democrat involved in pushing for the release of Epstein files, said lawmakers repeatedly pressed Lutnick over inconsistencies surrounding his past statements about Epstein.
Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican, acknowledged before the interview that Lutnick may not have been “100% truthful” previously about the timeline of his relationship with Epstein.
Midway through Wednesday’s session, Comer told reporters Lutnick had “corrected his statement on the time that he came to the island.”
“We’re really, sincerely trying to get the truth,” Comer said. “Our goal is to provide justice for the victims.”
The House Oversight Committee has expanded its investigation into Epstein-related matters by interviewing former government officials, associates of Epstein and others connected to the financier’s network.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed earlier this year and later testified in closed-door depositions that were eventually made public.
During his testimony, Bill Clinton said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and distanced himself from the financier after Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea. Hillary Clinton said she had no recollection of meeting Epstein and described Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell only as a casual acquaintance.
The committee is also scheduled to interview Bill Gates next month as part of its ongoing investigation.
