US Democrats accuse Commerce Secretary Lutnick of lying over Epstein ties

• US Democrats accuse Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of lying about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein after a closed-door congressional hearing.

Democratic members of the US Congress on Wednesday accused Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who served in Donald Trump’s administration, of lying about his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a closed-door congressional committee hearing.

Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari told reporters after the session that, based on what was heard during the hearing, she felt confident in saying Lutnick was “pathologically lying.”

Representative Suhas Subramanyam also called for Lutnick’s resignation, saying, “What we just heard in this room was beyond belief,” adding that the minister was “evasive, agitated, and not truthful.”

Lutnick, whose name has appeared in US Justice Department documents related to Epstein, did not speak to reporters after the hearing.

In an October 2025 podcast, he said he had sworn after a 2005 meeting with Epstein that he would never see him again. However, in February he acknowledged having lunch with Epstein in 2012 at the financier’s private Caribbean island, saying he was on a family vacation at the time with his wife, children, and nannies, and that the visit lasted about an hour.

Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday pointed to the conflicting accounts given within weeks of each other. Subramanyam questioned why Lutnick would have visited Epstein’s island if he felt uncomfortable around him, saying the explanations were inconsistent and “unexplainable.”

Republican Representative James Comer, who leads the committee investigating the Epstein case, rejected Democratic accusations, saying Lutnick had been “very cooperative” during the hearing regarding his ties to Epstein.