Commerce Secretary Lutnick Visited Epstein Island in 2012

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he was surprised when Jeffrey Epstein invited him to his private island in 2012. Lutnick told lawmakers he did not know how Epstein's assistants learned he was in the area and found the invitation unsettling. The comments came during a closed-door transcribed interview with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The panel is conducting an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Lutnick had previously stated that he cut ties with Epstein, his former neighbor, in 2005.

Lutnick admitted to having prolonged ties to Epstein during the interview. The Commerce Secretary sat for the session as part of the congressional probe. The 2012 visit occurred years after Lutnick said he ended contact with Epstein. Records reviewed by investigators showed the pair maintained communication beyond the 2005 cutoff Lutnick described last year.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been examining Epstein's activities and associations. Lutnick's interview forms one element of that broader review. Lutnick described the invitation as unexpected and unsettling during his testimony. He said he had no prior knowledge of how he was located for the 2012 meeting.

“Lutnick said he was surprised when Epstein invited him to his private island in 2012, saying he didn’t know how Epstein’s assistants knew he was in the area and found it unsettling" — WSJ, 2026 Lawmakers questioned Lutnick over the apparent discrepancy between his earlier public statements and the documentary evidence of continued contact. The interview remained closed to the public. The revelations add to the volume of material uncovered in the Epstein files. Multiple records have surfaced detailing interactions between Epstein and various prominent figures over many years.”

Last year Lutnick publicly stated that he severed ties with Epstein in 2005. The 2012 island lunch documented in the files directly contradicts the timeline he provided at that time. Investigators pressed Lutnick on the prolonged nature of the relationship during the closed session. The Commerce Secretary acknowledged the contact while expressing discomfort about the 2012 invitation.