Both Democrats and Republicans believe Howard Lutnick lied.
– Lutnick has lied to the American people about his connections to a convicted sex offender, says Democratic Senator Adam Schiff on Monday. according to the Financial Times.
Howard Lutnick was the chief executive of financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald for nearly three decades before becoming Commerce Secretary in Donald Trump’s administration last year. He was among the biggest donors to Trump’s election campaign.
– He has nothing to do as trade minister, and he should resign immediately, Schiff continued.
In an interview last year, Lutnick said he cut off contact with Epstein in 2005, after he was shown a room with a massage table. The two were neighbors at the time.
“My wife and I decided that I would never be in the same room as that disgusting person again,” Lutnick told The New York Post, according to the FT.
But documents from the Ministry of Justice show that the two continued to have contact until 2018, according to the FT. Emails show they planned social gatherings in New York and on Epstein’s island. Lutnick and Epstein were also co-investors in a private company.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie said Sunday that Lutnick should resign.
– He should make life easier for the president and just step down, said Massie to CNN.
Denies the charges
The US Department of Commerce says, according to the FT, that the statements that Lutnick should resign are “an unsuccessful attempt by traditional media to distract from the administration’s results”.
The ministry adds that “Mr and Mrs Lutnick met Lutnick in 2005 and had very limited contact with him over the next 14 years”.
White House spokesman Kush Desai says that “the entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick and the Department of Commerce, remains focused on delivering results for the American people.”
date:2026-02-10 12:58:00