House Oversight Committee Democrats say Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick lied about ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee sharply challenged Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick over his past contacts with the late Jeffrey Epstein, accusing him of misleading the committee and calling for his resignation or removal.

"And let's be very clear about what Howard Lutnick did. He said that he had not interacted with Jeffrey Epstein after 2005," an Oversight Committee Democrat said, framing the dispute around Lutnick's earlier public statement. The lawmaker pressed that the claim was central to the committee's inquiry.

Lutnick, introduced in the hearing as Secretary of Commerce, told the panel that he and his wife decided in 2005 he would avoid Epstein. "Moving in 2005, my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again," Lutnick said. He also acknowledged a later contact: "In 2012, I did have lunch with him. I looked through the millions of documents for my name, just like everybody else," he said.

An Oversight Committee Democrat responded to that account by saying Lutnick's denial was false. "That is a bold-faced lie. Not only did he continue to interact with Jeffrey Epstein, he went to his island. He went into business together. He communicated with him through third parties," the Democrat said, adding that Lutnick's continued presence in such circles made his appointment unacceptable. "He should immediately resign or be removed," the lawmaker said, calling the situation "disgraceful" and an "insult to the survivors."

The exchange centered on whether Lutnick's contacts with Epstein extended beyond the 2005 cutoff he described and on the characterization of those contacts. Committee Democrats asserted continued interaction and alleged visits to Epstein's private island and business relationships; Lutnick acknowledged a 2012 lunch and said he had searched documents for his name.

The hearing transcript records the committee's accusations and Lutnick's denials and clarifications. No formal vote or procedural outcome is recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.