Commerce Chief LIED About Epstein — Bipartisan FURY Erupts

Donkey and elephant silhouettes on American flag background. — BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick now faces bipartisan calls for his resignation after newly released Epstein files expose business dealings that directly contradict his public claims of severing ties with the convicted sex offender in 2005.

Story Snapshot

Department of Justice released 3 million pages of unredacted Epstein files, revealing Lutnick’s ongoing business relationship with the sex trafficker through at least 2018
Documents show Lutnick signed investment contracts with Epstein in 2012, received legislative documents from his assistant in 2013, and exchanged neighborly emails in 2018
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers demand that Lutnick resign or be fired for lying to the American people and potentially to President Trump
Commerce Department dismisses revelations as media distraction despite documentary evidence contradicting Lutnick’s sworn testimony about limited contact

Documented Business Ties Contradict Public Statements

The Department of Justice released millions of pages from the Jeffrey Epstein files on January 30, 2026, revealing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick maintained business and personal connections with the convicted sex offender years after claiming he cut all ties.

Documents show that on December 28, 2012, both Lutnick and Epstein signed agreements to acquire stakes in Adfin, an advertising technology company. This occurred seven years after Lutnick publicly stated he toured Epstein’s New York townhouse with his wife in 2005 and vowed to “never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again.”

Emails show US Commerce Secretary Lutnick planned Epstein island visit https://t.co/V3q2ywxL5E

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 31, 2026

Additional communications extend well beyond the 2012 business deal. On January 8, 2013, Epstein’s assistant forwarded Lutnick documents related to casino legislation in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2017, Epstein agreed to donate fifty thousand dollars to a dinner honoring Lutnick, expressing concern about public relations implications in an email stating, “hope pr is ok.”

As recently as 2018, Lutnick emailed his neighbor Epstein about the Frick Collection art museum expansion, warning that renovations might “block your sunlight and views.” These documented interactions paint a picture of ongoing contact that spans more than a decade beyond Lutnick’s claimed separation date.

Bipartisan Congressional Pressure Mounts

Republican Congressman Thomas Massey of Kentucky, a member of the House Oversight Committee, called for Lutnick’s immediate resignation on February 9, 2026. Massey stated that Lutnick “clearly went to the island if we believe what’s in these files” and emphasized that Lutnick “was in business with Jeffrey Epstein many years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted.”

The Kentucky Republican suggested Lutnick “should just resign” to make life easier for President Trump. Democratic Representative James Walkinshaw of Virginia joined the chorus, declaring that Lutnick maintained “an extensive relationship that was deep and broad with Epstein, which is completely at odds with the statements he has made.”

The bipartisan nature of these demands represents a significant political threat to the Trump administration. A California congressman serving as Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee posted on X in capital letters: “IT IS NOW CLEAR THAT COMMERCE SECRETARY HOWARD LUTNICK HAS BEEN LYING ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH EPSTEIN…LUTNIK MUST RESIGN OR BE FIRED.”

The House Oversight Committee is simultaneously deposing Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted accomplice, as part of its broader investigation into the extensive network of Epstein associates. This coordinated pressure from both sides of the aisle undermines any attempt to dismiss the controversy as partisan politics.

Commerce Department’s Implausible Defense

A Commerce Department spokesperson attempted to deflect the allegations, characterizing them as “nothing more than a failing attempt by the legacy media to distract from the administration’s accomplishments, including securing trillions of dollars in investment, delivering historic trade deals, and fighting for the American worker.”

The statement maintained that “Secretary Lutnick had limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing.” However, this defense ignores the documentary evidence showing Lutnick’s signature on the same investment contract as Epstein’s, received legislative documents forwarded by Epstein’s assistant, and exchanged emails about museum construction.

Sources close to Lutnick offered an additional defense claiming that, as a “small minority investor” in Adfin, Lutnick “would not have any knowledge of who the other investors were.” This explanation strains credibility, given that both men signed documents on behalf of their respective limited liability companies on the same date for the same investment.

Regarding the 2013 casino legislation document from Epstein’s assistant, a spokesperson claimed Lutnick “ignored the document sent to him,” though this assertion provides no explanation for why Epstein’s staff maintained the Commerce Secretary on their distribution list eight years after the supposed 2005 separation.

These defenses fail to address the fundamental contradiction between Lutnick’s public statements and the documented timeline of interactions.

Implications for Trump Administration Accountability

This situation demonstrates how the ongoing release of the Epstein files continues to implicate prominent figures who previously minimized their connections to the convicted sex trafficker. Lutnick served as the former chairman of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald and lived next door to Epstein in New York.

The revelations raise serious questions about the vetting process for cabinet appointees and whether Lutnick disclosed the full extent of his Epstein connections to President Trump. Representative Walkinshaw explicitly stated his belief that Lutnick “lied to the American people” and “presumably to his boss, President Trump.”

The American people deserve transparency and honesty from cabinet officials, particularly regarding associations with convicted criminals involved in sex trafficking. Lutnick’s documented pattern of interactions with Epstein extending through at least 2018 fundamentally contradicts his public narrative of limited contact ending in 2005.

Whether these business dealings involved knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities remains unclear, but the deception itself represents a breach of public trust. President Trump built his administration on promises to drain the swamp and restore accountability to Washington.

Allowing a Commerce Secretary who demonstrably misrepresented his relationship with a notorious sex offender to remain in office would undermine that commitment and provide ammunition to critics who question the administration’s judgment and integrity.