Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify on Epstein ties

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to appear before the House Oversight Committee to discuss his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the committee’s chair, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said Tuesday afternoon.

Comer said in a post on X that Lutnick “proactively agreed to appear voluntarily” before the committee. “I commend his demonstrated commitment to transparency and appreciate his willingness to engage with the Committee,” Comer added. “I look forward to his testimony.”

“Secretary Lutnick continues to be a critical asset for President Trump, having played a key role in securing major trade and investment deals,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told MS NOW. “The entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick, remain focused on delivering more wins for the American people.”

The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s request for comment.

The news was first reported by Axios.

The news follows MS NOW’s repeated questions to Republicans on this point last week, which led Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., to confirm she would ask Lutnick to appear before the committee.

Lutnick, a former Wall Street investment banker, was previously Epstein’s neighbor on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He previously claimed he cut ties with Epstein in 2005, three years before the latter’s arrest in Florida on state charges of soliciting a prostitute.

But in testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee last month, Lutnick confirmed that he and his family visited Epstein’s island in 2012 after a document in the recently released files showed he’d been invited.

Pressure has been mounting for Republicans to submit to questioning over their ties to Epstein following former President Bill Clinton’s and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s appearances before the committee last week. Bill Clinton denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and said he cut contact with the late financier before he learned of them. Hillary Clinton denied knowing Epstein or ever going to his homes.