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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s private island for lunch in 2012 during a Senate hearing, confirming details from recently released Justice Department documents amid scrutiny of his associations with the convicted sex offender.
The admission came as betting markets reflected growing speculation on his potential departure from the Trump administration, with odds reaching 53% that he leaves before 2027.
The hearing, conducted by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, was primarily focused on broadband funding. However, Democrats, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), pressed Lutnick on his Epstein connections following the DOJ’s release of over three million files on January 30, as part of the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed by President Trump in November 2025.
? BREAKING: Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick slaps down claims he was cozy with Jeffrey Epstein"I met Jeffrey Epstein when I moved to a house next door to him in New York. And I met him then. Over the next 14 years, I met him 2 other times that I can recall. Two times. And that is…pic.twitter.com/HAABw2vFG7
Lutnick confirmed a post-conviction meeting with Epstein, who had been convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor for prostitution. Lutnick has not been accused of any wrongdoing but faced questions about transparency regarding his interactions.
Lutnick stated “I met Jeffrey Epstein when I moved to a house next door to him in New York. And I met him then. Over the next 14 years, I met him 2 other times that I can recall. Two times. And that is none for 6 years.”
“So six years later, I met him. And then a year and a half after that, I met him. And never again,” he claimed.
Source: modernity
