Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Admits Visiting Epstein Island

Testifying Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Lutnick admitted under questioning that he and his family had lunch on Little St. James, the Caribbean island where Epstein’s victims say they were trafficked and sexually assaulted.

The admission marks a dramatic reversal for a Cabinet official who spent months insisting he wanted nothing to do with the convicted sex offender. As recently as October 2025, Lutnick told the New York Post he had cut all ties with Epstein back in 2005, calling him “disgusting” and “the greatest blackmailer ever.” He claimed that after a disturbing tour of Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, “I was never in the room with him socially, for business or even philanthropy.”

That story collapsed weeks ago when the Department of Justice released over 3 million pages of Epstein-related files.

The Emails That Forced The Admission

The DOJ documents paint a picture that is impossible to square with Lutnick’s earlier denials. In a December 19, 2012 email, Lutnick wrote directly to Epstein: “Hi Jeff, We are landing in St. Thomas early Saturday afternoon and planning to head over to St. Bart’s/Anguilla on Monday at some point. Where are you located (what is exact location for my captain)? Does Sunday evening for dinner sound good?”

Lutnick described the group traveling with him, noting he had another couple aboard his yacht, and that both families had four children each, ranging in ages from 7 to 16. His wife, Allison Lutnick, coordinated directly with Epstein’s assistant Lesley Groff, writing on December 21, “We are looking forward to visiting you.” Two days later she followed up: “We are heading towards you from St. Thomas. Where should we anchor exactly?”

Epstein invited them for a Sunday lunch. Lutnick responded: “See you then.” On December 24, 2012, Epstein’s assistant forwarded a message to Lutnick on Epstein’s behalf saying, “it was nice seeing you,” all but confirming the visit took place.

This was four years after Epstein pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution in Florida.

The “Family Vacation” Defense

Lutnick’s strategy in Tuesday’s hearing was to frame the island visit as an innocent family affair, a stop during a Caribbean vacation with children in tow. It is the same line the Commerce Department has deployed since the documents surfaced: “Secretary Lutnick had limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing.”

The framing is carefully constructed. Bringing your family to lunch on the island of a man already convicted of sex crimes against minors is supposed to signal normalcy. But the defense raises its own questions. Why was a Wall Street billionaire, who claims to have found Epstein “gross” seven years earlier, coordinating yacht logistics with the man’s assistant to visit his private island? And why did he lie about it for years?

To be clear: no evidence has surfaced that Lutnick engaged in any criminal behavior during his visit. But the admission shreds a carefully maintained narrative, one Lutnick himself built on national television.

Far Deeper Than One Lunch

The island visit is not the only revelation that contradicts Lutnick’s claims. The Epstein files show a relationship that stretched across at least 13 years, not the brief 2005 encounter Lutnick described on the “Pod Force One” podcast. The documents reveal that Lutnick and Epstein had drinks in 2011. That same month, December 2012, both men signed contracts to invest in AdFin Solutions, a now-defunct advertising technology company. Their signatures appear on neighboring pages of the same agreement. Correspondence related to AdFin continued through at least 2014.

In 2013, Epstein obtained the resume of Lutnick’s nanny, a detail that has unsettled investigators and lawmakers alike. Emails also show Lutnick inviting Epstein to a Hillary Clinton fundraiser in 2015, corresponding with him about Wall Street charity events in 2017, and maintaining contact as late as 2018.

Lutnick was mentioned more than 250 times across the released Epstein files. His sister, Edie Lutnick, was a founding supporter of Ghislaine Maxwell’s TerraMar Project, the oceanic charity that Maxwell operated while serving as Epstein’s closest associate and which was later shuttered after Maxwell’s arrest for sex trafficking.

Bipartisan Calls To Resign

The pressure on Lutnick has been building from both sides of the aisle, an increasingly rare phenomenon in Washington. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who co-authored the law compelling the release of the Epstein files, called for Lutnick’s resignation on CNN Sunday. “He should just resign,” Massie said. “Howard Lutnick clearly went to the island if we believe what’s in these files. He was in business with Jeffrey Epstein, and this was many years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted.”

Massie added pointedly: “If this were Great Britain, he’d already be gone.” He was referencing the political fallout in the United Kingdom, where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew) was stripped of his remaining titles and Peter Mandelson was fired as UK Ambassador to the United States, both over their appearances in the Epstein files. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, also resigned Sunday over his role in Mandelson’s appointment.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Adam Schiff called Lutnick’s statements outright lies. “It’s now clear that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been lying about his relationship with Epstein,” he wrote. “He has no business being our Commerce Secretary. He should resign immediately.” Sen. Ted Lieu called Lutnick “despicable” for both the island visit and for going on television to deny it. Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, demanded Lutnick “resign or be fired.”

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has not ruled out subpoenaing Lutnick, telling reporters Monday, “We’re interested in talking to anyone that might have any information that would help us get justice for the survivorship.” Members of Congress, including Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, visited the Justice Department on Monday to review unredacted Epstein documents.

The White House Is Standing Firm, For Now

President Trump has shown no appetite for cutting Lutnick loose. When asked about his Commerce Secretary’s appearance in the Epstein files last week, Trump told reporters, “I’m sure they’re fine. Otherwise, there would have been major headlines.” White House spokesman Kush Desai issued a statement that did not address the substance of the allegations: “The entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick and the Department of Commerce, remains focused on delivering for the American people.”

The Commerce Department’s response has been to attack the media rather than the facts. “This is nothing more than a failing attempt by the legacy media to distract from the administration’s accomplishments,” a department spokesperson said, before pivoting to talking points about trade deals and investment.

But the political math could shift. Trump has previously attacked others, including former President Bill Clinton, simply for being associated with Epstein’s island. The standard Trump set for his opponents is now being applied to his own Cabinet member, and the documentary evidence is, in many ways, stronger.

What Happens Next

Tuesday’s admission under oath puts Lutnick in a different position than he was in last week. Denying the island visit is no longer an option. The question now is whether “I brought my family” is enough to survive a scandal that has already toppled officials in the United Kingdom and drawn bipartisan condemnation in Congress.

The House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the Epstein files continues. The Ghislaine Maxwell deposition before the committee took place just yesterday. More documents may yet surface. And Lutnick’s 13-year paper trail with Epstein, now confirmed by his own words under oath, means every new revelation will be viewed through the lens of a man who lied about this relationship for as long as he could.

For a Commerce Secretary whose job is to negotiate trade deals built on trust, that credibility gap may prove harder to close than any tariff.