Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick defends visit to Epstein's island with his family

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged Tuesday visiting Jeffrey Epstein on his private island in 2012, as Senate Democrats called into question his credibility on the issue. Justice Department files on Epstein released recently show Lutnick and Epstein had a closer relationship than Lutnick has previously stated.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged Tuesday visiting Jeffrey Epstein on his private island in 2012, as Senate Democrats called into question his credibility on the issue. Justice Department files on Epstein released recently show Lutnick and Epstein had a closer relationship than Lutnick has previously stated.

Maryland's Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen recalled that Lutnick had previously claimed to have cut off contact with Epstein, Lutnick's neighbor in New York, in 2005, "but now it turns out not to be true." Lutnick said last year he had "limited interactions" with Jeffrey Epstein, but documents show they were in business together as recently as 2014, and emailed as recently as 2018, the year before Epstein's death.

"The information recently revealed from the Epstein files show that your statements were at best highly misleading," Van Hollen said. He added later, "Mr. Lutnick that does call into question your fitness for the job you now hold and the question of your credibility."

Lutnick continued to distance himself from Epstein while admitting to the interactions revealed in the Epstein files. Lutnick said he met with his next-door neighbor two times in 14 years, and "I did not have any relationship with him, I barely had anything to do with that person. Okay?"

But Lutnick admitted he, his wife and kids, and another family visited Epstein on his private Caribbean island.