Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faced challenges over his Epstein ties during a Tuesday hearing.
Sitting before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Lutnick was accosted over what some believe was a misrepresentation of his relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein. Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, aggressively confronted the secretary from the very beginning of his remarks, telling Lutnick, “You totally misrepresented the extent of your relationship with Epstein.”
Watch:
Sen. Van Hollen to Lutnick: You totally misrepresented the extent of your relationship with Epstein. The information recently revealed shows that you had interactions with Epstein over 13 years, including long after he was convicted of soliciting the prostitution of a minor. That… pic.twitter.com/LJcUkqXN81
— FactPost (@factpostnews) February 10, 2026
“But since this hearing was scheduled, another matter has arisen from the Epstein files that goes to the heart of the credibility and honesty of our witness, Secretary Lutnick. Mr. Secretary, I hope during the course of your testimony we can get answers to some of those questions,” Van Hollen kicked off his comments. “As you know, Mr. Secretary, the issue is not that you engaged in any wrongdoing with Jeffrey Epstein, but that you totally misrepresented the extent of your relationship with him to the Congress, to the American people, and to the survivors of his despicable criminal and predatory acts.”
“You told us that when you and your wife first encountered Jeffrey Epstein in his apartment in 2005, he used sexual innuendo to explain why he had a massage table in the middle of the room. You said it disgusted you and that you hurried out and vowed never to set foot in the same room with him again, and you suggested that you never had anything more to do with him. I remember thinking that, for all our disagreements, you had good instincts,” the senator continued. “But now that turns out not to be true. The information recently revealed from the Epstein files shows that your statements were, at best, highly misleading. The files show you had interactions with Epstein over the next 13 years, including long after he was convicted in 2008 of soliciting the prostitution of a minor. And Mr. Secretary, that does call into question your fitness for the job you now hold and the question of your credibility before this committee and the Congress.”
Indeed, the latest Epstein files dump shows that Lutnick had an encounter with Epstein as recently as 2014.
“Lutnick and Epstein each signed on behalf of limited liability companies that agreed on Dec. 28, 2012, to acquire stakes in a now-shuttered advertising technology company called Adfin, documents released among the so-called Epstein files show,” CBS News reported. Despite his claims, it appears the pair “continued to maintain contact and emails show they arranged calls and planned to have drinks in 2011.”
“The following year, the couple and their four children planned a visit to Epstein’s island, Little St. James, emails show. Lutnick was invited for lunch on Dec. 24, 2012, and later, Epstein’s assistant wrote on behalf of Epstein, ‘it was nice seeing you,'” the outlet noted.
Van Hollen claimed that Americans “believe that you misled the country and the Congress based on your earlier statements, suggesting that you’d cut off all contact when, in fact, you had not. When you visited the private island, did you see anything inappropriate during that visit?”
“The only thing I saw with my wife and my children and the other couple and their children was staff who worked for Mr. Epstein on that island,” the secretary clarified.
“And you realize that this visit took place after he’d been convicted, right? I mean, you made a very big point of saying that you sensed that this was a bad person in 2005. And then, of course, in 2008, he was convicted of soliciting prostitution of a minor, and yet you went and had this trip and other interactions. Did you have a dinner in Epstein’s New York City home in 2011? So the information that suggests that there was a dinner with Woody Allen and Woody Allen’s spouse at the Epstein residence. There’s nothing to that, is that right?” Van Hollen grilled.
“I actually don’t know what you’re referring to. There was — look, I looked through the millions of documents for my name, just like everybody else, and what I found was there was a document that says that I had a meeting with him in May, I think, for an hour at five o’clock — not dinner or otherwise — for an hour at five o’clock,” Lutnick explained.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
- Kennedy accuses Jesse Watters of getting his talking points from Lindsey Graham in The Five clash - March 25, 2026
- Jersey’s Democratic governor attends local mosque whose cofounder was convicted of funneling money to Hamas - March 25, 2026
- Actor Ryan Gosling’s shout-out sends Florida bakery’s specialty item soaring - March 25, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.