Topline
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is likely to be forced to testify before Congress again about Jeffrey Epstein after a Republican joined Democrats on Friday in calling for him to take questions—as Lutnick faces bipartisan calls to resign over revelations he continued his relationship with Epstein after claiming he ended it prior to Epstein being accused of any crime.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a news conference on tariffs on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 at the White House in Washington, D.C. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (right) joined Trump. (Photo by Peter W. Stevenson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Washington Post via Getty Images
Key Facts
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said Friday, “Howard Lutnick should take questions from the Oversight Committee,” responding to a post on X of a photo of Lutnick on Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean.
With Mace’s support, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have the votes to subpoena Lutnick to testify, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told reporters Friday.
Meanwhile, Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., asked Lutnick in a letter Friday to turn over all of his communications with Epstein, Axios reported.
The photo of Lutnick with Epstein was restored to the Justice Department website overnight Thursday after being removed at some point after the agency published its final batch of Epstein files on Jan. 30.
The photo shows Lutnick walking behind Epstein with three other men on Little St. James Island.
Lutnick has come under fire after revelations he continued his relationship with Epstein, who was his neighbor in New York City, for years after claiming he cut off contact with him in 2005.
Lutnick admitted in a Senate testimony earlier this month he visited Epstein’s island with his wife, children and another family in 2012, and emails show the two communicated as recently as 2018.
Crucial Quote
Lutnick told the Senate Appropriations Committee, “I did not have any relationship with him, I barely had anything to do with that person,” however he also admitted he and his family had lunch on Epstein’s St. James Island. Lutnick said they were there “for an hour” and he “left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife all together,” insisting they were “on a family vacation” and “were not apart. To suggest there was anything untoward about that in 2012, I don’t recall why we did it. But we did.”
Contra
The Justice Department claimed the photo of Lutnick with Epstein was removed as part of a “batch of thousands of images” that were “flagged for nudity” and “being uploaded with necessary redactions on a rolling basis,” an unnamed official told ABC News. The official said, “no files are being deleted.” It’s unclear why the image of Lutnick was flagged, as he, Epstein and the three other men photographed are fully clothed.
Key Background
Lutnick has faced bipartisan criticism, including calls for him to resign, after admitting he visited Epstein’s island years after he previously claimed to have cut ties with him. Lutnick said in an interview with Pod Force One in October he visited Epstein’s townhouse in New York City shortly after he and his wife moved in next door in 2005 and decided Epstein was “gross” and he and his wife would “never be in the room with him socially, for business, or even philanthropy.” Lutnick said he made the determination after Epstein showed him a massage room in his home surrounded by candles and said he gets “the right kind” of massage “everyday.” Lutnick visited Epstein’s island four years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting sex with a minor. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., joined a coalition of Democrats in calling for him to step down after he admitted to the Senate panel on Feb. 10 he visited Epstein’s island in 2012, while other Republicans, including Reps. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Kennedy, R-La., sharply criticized Lutnick. Tillis called the discrepancy in Lutnick’s statements about Epstein “rotten,” in an interview with The Hill, and Kennedy said he needs to “disclose everything.” The White House has publicly stood behind Lutnick, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters shortly after Lutnick’s Senate testimony, he “remains a very important member of President Trump’s team and the president fully supports the secretary.”
Further Reading
Lutnick Admits Visiting Epstein’s Island In 2012 After Saying He Cut Ties Years Earlier (Forbes)
Massie Calls For Lutnick To Resign Over Epstein Connection (Forbes)
Outrage Over Epstein Files ‘Cover Up’ Grows: Dems Call For Trump And Patel To Testify (Forbes)