United States Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has consented to appear before lawmakers examining links to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The appearance will form part of an ongoing investigation by the House Oversight Committee into individuals associated with Epstein prior to his death.
Committee chairman James Comer confirmed on Tuesday that Lutnick “has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily” for a transcribed interview. No timetable for the session has yet been made public, but Comer welcomed the decision.
“I commend his demonstrated commitment to transparency and appreciate his willingness to engage with the Committee,” he stated.
Lutnick, widely regarded as a principal architect of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs strategy, has previously acknowledged that he travelled to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean in December 2012. The visit occurred several years after Epstein had been convicted in Florida in 2008 for sex offences.
According to records released by the United States Department of Justice, Lutnick arrived on the island on 23 December 2012 while on a family holiday.
Correspondence disclosed in the department’s extensive document release shows that, on the eve of the trip, Lutnick’s wife, Allison, wrote to Epstein’s assistant: “We are looking forward to visiting you”, and, “We would love to join you for lunch”. The material forms part of more than 3.5 million pages made public under statutory requirements relating to investigations into Epstein’s activities.
The revelation of the 2012 visit has drawn scrutiny because Lutnick had earlier told Congress that he had severed contact with Epstein in 2005. He recounted that the decision followed an encounter in which Epstein, then a neighbour in New York, used sexual innuendo to explain the presence of a massage table in a room of his home.
The confirmation that Lutnick later visited the island prompted calls from both Democrats and Republicans for him to step down from the administration, though he has not been accused of misconduct by any of Epstein’s victims.
The committee’s inquiry has already heard from other prominent figures. In recent days, former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton gave depositions. Both stated that they had no prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and that they had ended contact with him before his 2008 conviction.
Although neither has been accused of wrongdoing, Bill Clinton’s name appears in investigative files, including photographic material, which fuelled demands for their testimony.
Following the announcement of Lutnick’s forthcoming appearance, Comer extended requests for transcribed interviews to several additional high-profile individuals. Those named include Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Clinton’s former senior aide Doug Band and former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler.
The committee’s work continues to unfold against the backdrop of the justice department’s large-scale disclosure of investigative files, a release that has brought renewed public attention to the breadth of Epstein’s network of acquaintances.
