Fact Check: Did Justice Department remove Howard Lutnick’s photograph from Epstein files?

WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the controversies and conspiracy theories surrounding the release of a massive tranche of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a claim is circulating on social media platforms that the Department of Justice removed a photo of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick from the Epstein files. Let us fact-check the claim.

Claim: Howard Lutnick's photo removed from Epstein files

According to a report by The Daily Beast, the Justice Department removed a photo of Lutnick from its website on Thursday, February 26. The photograph was part of the millions of files linked to the convicted offender, which were released by the department on January 30.

The image, which appears to show Lutnick alongside Epstein and three other men on Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean, is said to be from 2012, a visit acknowledged by Lutnick.

Fact Check: True, Justice Department did remove Howard Lutnick's photo

The speculation that the photo was removed is true; it surfaced in a cached download of the Epstein Files but was later removed from the official archive.

The image was uploaded to Jmail, a platform that allows users to browse Epstein-related documents. 

A link to the image was posted on its ‘jmailarchive’ section, showing what appears to be a DOJ file labelled ‘EFTA01230639’.

However, a search for the file in the DOJ’s official Epstein document database found no matching record, suggesting that the files have been removed or deleted. 

A department official said, “This image was part of a batch of files that were flagged for nudity. The batch of thousands of images was pulled for review and is being uploaded with necessary redactions on a rolling basis. No files are being deleted.”

Howard Lutnick's visit to Epstein Island

During his recent testimony, Lutnick acknowledged the 2012 trip but insisted that it was limited in scope and included family members throughout.

He said that they had stayed roughly an hour and left together, adding that he did not witness any illegal activity and did not maintain a personal relationship with Epstein.

“I don’t recall why we did it,” he told lawmakers, referring to the visit. He emphasized that his wife and children were present the entire time, framing the outing as a family lunch rather than a private meeting.