House Democrats Accuse Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of Lying About Jeffrey Epstein Ties

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee accused Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of lying multiple times during a closed-door hearing about his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, told reporters after the hearing that Lutnick had reversed his prior claims about Epstein recording guests’ sexual misconduct and using the footage to blackmail them. Lutnick had previously described Epstein as “the greatest blackmailer ever.”

“So, somebody obviously got to him, from the administration. In fact, he said he talked to people in the administration and that’s why he’s changed his tune,” Khanna said. “And the question is not just why he’s lying, the question is why he’s covering up. The question is why he’s no longer willing to share what he knows about Epstein’s abhorrent behavior.

“If Donald Trump had seen the video transcript he would’ve fired Howard Lutnick. It was very embarrassing.”

The California Democrat added.

Lutnick previously swore in a 2024 interview that he had no contact with Epstein after 2005, yet records show he coordinated a family trip—including with his young children—to Epstein’s private island in the Bahamas in 2012. Despite claiming he severed ties with Epstein after meeting him, Lutnick admitted to maintaining contact even after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Virginia Representative Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat, called for Lutnick’s resignation following the hearing, stating, “Howard Lutnick should resign.”

“That was absolutely mind-boggling, what we just heard in the room. He was evasive, nervous. He was dishonest,” Subramanyam said.

He also criticized Lutnick’s October 2025 remarks on the New York Post’s Pod Force One, where the secretary claimed he would “never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again” after meeting Epstein. Subramanyam questioned Lutnick’s version of events, saying:

“I had to ask him whether he and I were in the same room, just now, because I couldn’t understand his meaning of ‘we were in the same room together.’”

Lutnick also failed to explain why he and his family traveled to Epstein’s island, despite repeated questioning.

“We asked him over and over again, ‘Why did you go to the island?’ He says he doesn’t remember, that it was inexplicable, and he simply didn’t know how to answer the question at that point,” Subramanyam said.