Commerce Secretary Lutnick Testifies Before House Panel on Epstein Ties

Lutnick previously said he cut contact with Epstein in 2005, several years before Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida state court to soliciting an underage girl for prostitution. Lutnick admitted to a Senate committee in February that he and his family visited Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2012.

He told House investigators on Wednesday he steered clear of Epstein after spotting a massage table in his home in 2005 but acknowledged two other encounters over the following seven years. The Commerce Secretary told the panel he met Epstein only three times over a decade.

He said he was surprised when Epstein invited him to the private island in 2012, adding that he didn’t know how Epstein’s assistants knew he was in the area and found it unsettling.

Democratic lawmakers accused Lutnick of lying to Congress and demanded his resignation after the closed-door deposition. One lawmaker called him a pathological liar who is enabling a cover-up.

Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the committee, told reporters that Lutnick had only talked to Epstein three times over a decade. Comer accused Democrats on the panel of trying to make political hay of the interview and of lying about details of the Epstein investigation.

"If we find that there were any misstatements by Lutnick, it's a felony to lie to Congress, and he'll be held accountable," Comer said.

“If we find that there were any misstatements by Lutnick, it's a felony to lie to Congress, and he'll be held accountable.”

Lutnick was a New York City neighbor of Epstein. Other high-profile figures including former Attorney General Pam Bondi, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and billionaire Leon Black are scheduled to give interviews to the same panel in the coming weeks. The panel's work continues as part of a broader congressional examination stemming from the Department of Justice documents.