“Of these millions and millions of documents, there may be 10 emails connecting me with him… over a 14 year period. I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person.
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Commerce Secretary Lutnick Testifies Before House Oversight on Epstein Ties
May 6, 2026
On May 6, 2026, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — the highest-ranking Trump cabinet member named in the Epstein files outside the president himself — appeared before the House Oversight Committee for a closed-door, four-plus-hour transcribed interview about his evolving account of his contacts with Jeffrey Epstein. Lutnick appeared voluntarily and admitted to a 2012 family lunch on Epstein's private island, contradicting his earlier claim that he had cut ties in 2005. Democrats called him a liar and demanded his resignation; GOP Chairman Comer said Lutnick was "very transparent" but also conceded he "wasn't 100% truthful."
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10 Statements
“I did have lunch with him...I don't recall why we did it.
“There is no indication that Lutnick engaged in any wrongdoing with Epstein.
“Right off the bat he corrected his statement on the time that he came to the island. I feel like Lutnick has been very transparent. He came in voluntarily.
“I feel very comfortable saying that Howard Lutnick is a pathological liar who is enabling the most egregious cover-up in American history.
“He wasn't 100% truthful with whether or not he had been on the island. If we find that there were any misstatements by Mr. Lutnick, it's a felony to lie to Congress.
“If you saw the exchanges that my colleagues had with him, you would see he made a farce of the English language. It was just contortions and lies and no acknowledgement.
“If Donald Trump had seen the video transcript, he would have fired Howard Lutnick. It was really embarrassing.
“He somehow remembers going to the island after pictures surfaced of him being at the island, but he doesn't remember why he went.
“He's lying, and today's transcribed interview is part of the ongoing cover-up. The American people deserve to see the sweat on the secretary's brow as he struggles to answer basic questions.