Howard Lutnick agrees to testify in Epstein probe, says ‘I have done nothing wrong’

WASHINGTON, DC: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed that he will testify before the House Oversight Committee regarding his past association with Jeffrey Epstein. He said he has “done nothing wrong” and plans to cooperate with lawmakers as the investigation moves forward.

Lutnick’s name surfaced in deposition materials involving Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, drawing renewed attention to his prior statements about the extent of his contact with Epstein. The committee is continuing its review of documents and testimony connected to the case.

Howard Lutnick agrees to testify in House Epstein probe 

Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify before lawmakers. In an interview with Axios, Lutnick said, “I look forward to appearing before the committee. I have done nothing wrong and I want to set the record straight.”

Lutnick “has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily” for a transcribed interview as part of the House Oversight Committee investigation, Chairman James Comer announced on Tuesday, March 3.

As per People, Lutnick discussed the matter on the 'Pod Force One' podcast after documents became public. He said he and his wife ended contact with Epstein in 2005. He explained that they felt uneasy during a visit to Epstein’s home when they noticed a massage table while being shown around.

Reflecting on that moment, Lutnick said, “My wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again.” He added, “So I was never in the room with him socially, for business, or even philanthropy. If that guy was there, I wasn’t going, because he’s gross.”

However, questions about those statements resurfaced when Lutnick appeared before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on February 10 for a separate matter. During that hearing, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen pressed him over what appeared to be inconsistencies in how he described his contact with Epstein.

Lutnick responded by minimizing their communication. He stated, “Probably the total, and you've seen all of these documents of these millions and millions of documents, there may be 10 emails connecting me with him, probably about 10 emails connecting me with him over a 14-year period.” 

He continued, “I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person, okay?” Under further questioning, Lutnick acknowledged that he visited Epstein’s private island in 2012. He insisted the visit was brief and part of a family vacation.

Describing the occasion, he said, “I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation.” He explained, “I had another couple, they were there as well with their children, and we had lunch on the island. That is true, for an hour, and we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife all together.”

Emphasizing that nothing improper occurred, Lutnick added, “We were on a family vacation. We were not apart. To suggest there was anything untoward about that in 2012...I don't recall why we did it, but we did it.”

Justice Department records detail 2012 island visit

Lutnick is listed among several well-known figures referenced in more than 3.5 million pages of records made public by the Department of Justice, as required by law. The released material includes travel details showing that Lutnick visited Epstein’s Caribbean island on December 23, 2012.

Correspondence disclosed in the files also includes an email sent a day before the trip. In that message, Lutnick’s wife, Allison Lutnick, wrote to Epstein’s assistant, stating, “We are looking forward to visiting you,” and “We would love to join you for lunch.”

Amid renewed attention, President Donald Trump expressed support for Lutnick’s decision to testify before lawmakers. Trump said, “Howard would go in and do whatever he has to say. He's a very innocent guy, doing a good job.”