U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed Tuesday he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in December 2012, a disclosure that contradicts previous statements to Congress asserting he had severed ties with the convicted sex offender in 2005.
Lutnick’s testimony before a House committee revealed he, his wife, and their four children had lunch with Epstein on the island as part of a family vacation. “I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation,” Lutnick stated. “My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies … We had lunch on the island. That is true. For an hour.” Correspondence released by the Department of Justice corroborates the visit, with an email from Lutnick’s wife, Allison, expressing their anticipation of visiting Epstein and joining him for lunch.
The revelation prompted renewed calls for Lutnick’s resignation, though the White House affirmed its continued support for the Commerce Secretary. Lutnick had previously told Congress he ended his relationship with Epstein in 2005, citing discomfort with Epstein’s sexually suggestive remarks regarding a massage table in his home. He testified Tuesday that he had met Epstein on two other occasions in the 14 years following 2005.
The Justice Department files indicate Lutnick visited Epstein’s Caribbean island on December 23, 2012, four years after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting prostitution from a child. Lutnick acknowledged he did not recall the specific reason for the visit, stating, “I don’t recall why we did it, but we did it.”
The disclosure of Lutnick’s 2012 visit comes amid a broader release of documents related to Epstein, including files revealing that Epstein was denied entry into Canada in 2018 due to his criminal record, but had previously visited Vancouver in 2014 to attend a TED conference. The Justice Department released over three million pages of documents, including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, with redactions to protect victims.
Separately, former Florida police chief Michael Reiter claims that Donald Trump told him in a 2006 phone call that “everyone” knew about Epstein’s misconduct and expressed relief that law enforcement was investigating him. This claim surfaced as a new batch of Epstein files was released, and follows a previous statement from Trump to police in the mid-2000s that “everyone has known” about Epstein’s behavior.
