New Epstein documents spark resignation calls for Trump commerce secretary

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a senior member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, is facing growing bipartisan calls to resign following new Justice Department disclosures detailing his continued association with Jeffrey Epstein years after Epstein’s conviction for sex crimes, ABC News reports.

Documents released by the Justice Department late last month indicate that Lutnick remained in contact with Epstein as recently as 2018, despite Epstein having pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges including soliciting prostitution from a minor. The revelations have intensified scrutiny of Lutnick’s previous statements distancing himself from Epstein.

“Look, Howard Lutnick clearly went to the island if we believe what’s in these files. He was in business with Jeffrey Epstein. And this was many years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted,” Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, said. “You know, lightly sentenced, but was convicted for sexual crimes. So, he’s got a lot to answer for. But really, he should make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign.”

Massie, together with Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California, spearheaded efforts to pressure the Justice Department to release its Epstein-related records and has since raised concerns about transparency. Massie, Khanna, and other lawmakers visited the Justice Department on February 9 to review unredacted documents.

Democratic Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, accused Lutnick of misleading the public. “It’s now clear that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been lying about his relationship with Epstein. He said he had no interactions with Epstein after 2005, yet we now know they were in business together. Lutnick must resign or be fired. And he must answer our questions,” Garcia wrote on X.

Lutnick, who lived next door to Epstein for more than a decade, has previously claimed he cut ties with Epstein in the mid-2000s. “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,” Lutnick said on the Pod Force One podcast in October. “That’s my story. A one and absolutely done.”

However, documents appear to contradict that account. Epstein’s schedule from May 1, 2011, lists plans for drinks with Lutnick. Records from December 2012 indicate Lutnick and his family planned a visit to Epstein’s private island, and legal filings show both men invested in the same business that month.

A Commerce Department spokesperson told ABC News, “Mr and Mrs Lutnick met Jeffrey Epstein in 2005 and had very limited interactions with him over the next 14 years.”

The White House defended Lutnick, with spokesman Kush Desai stating that “the entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick and the Department of Commerce, remains focused on delivering for the American people.”

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the panel remains focused on existing subpoenas but added, “We’re interested in talking to anyone that might have any information that would help us get justice for the survivors.”

By Vafa Guliyeva