On May 6, 2026, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick walked into a closed-door session with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to answer questions about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. He’d been dodging these questions for months — refusing to answer at both Senate and House Appropriations hearings in April. This time, he sat down. And what came out of that room was worse than the silence.
The Story He Told Before.
Here’s what Lutnick told the world in October 2025, on a podcast: He and his wife visited Epstein’s townhouse once in 2005. They saw a massage table in the middle of the home. Epstein told Lutnick he got “the right kind of massage” every day. And then, in Lutnick’s telling, “in the six or eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house, my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again.”
That was the story. Never again. 2005. Done.
It was a lie.
What He Admitted on May 6.
Behind closed doors, with investigators taking notes, Lutnick told a very different story. According to a person granted anonymity to describe the proceedings and multiple lawmakers who spoke to reporters:
Lutnick was Epstein’s neighbor in Manhattan from 2005 to 2019 — not just a brief encounter in 2005. That’s 14 years of living next door to a convicted sex offender. For context, Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008. Lutnick kept living next to him for 11 more years.
In 2011, Lutnick met with Epstein to discuss renovations on Epstein’s Manhattan home. This is after the conviction. After the plea deal. After Lutnick claimed he’d sworn off the man forever.
In 2012, Lutnick took his wife, children, nannies, and friends to Epstein’s private island — Little Saint James — for lunch. The island. The one that became synonymous with sex trafficking. Lutnick told investigators he was “unsettled” that Epstein’s assistant had somehow found out he was vacationing in the U.S. Virgin Islands and extended an invitation. But he went anyway.
“I feel very comfortable saying that Howard Lutnick is a pathological liar.” — Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ)
When pressed on why he went to the island despite claiming he wanted nothing to do with Epstein, Lutnick described his own decision as “inexplicable.” He called the interactions “meaningless” and “inconsequential.” That’s a sitting Commerce Secretary describing his visit to the island of a convicted sex trafficker as “meaningless.”
The Epstein files released by the DOJ earlier this year include email exchanges between Lutnick and Epstein. On a Thursday in December 2012, Lutnick wrote: “OK, lunch on Sunday. See you then.” Four days later, Epstein replied: “Nice seeing you.” Separately, CBS News reported that Lutnick and Epstein signed documents together in December 2012 to acquire stakes in an advertising technology company called Adfin — their signatures appearing on neighboring pages. Lutnick’s previous claim of no contact after 2005 was directly contradicted by his own paper trail.
Even Comer Admits It.
Here’s the part that matters most: it wasn’t just Democrats calling Lutnick a liar. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer — a Republican from Kentucky, the man running the investigation — acknowledged to reporters before the interview even started that Lutnick “wasn’t 100 percent truthful” in the past when describing his relationship with Epstein.
Read that again. The Republican chairman of the committee investigating Epstein ties said the sitting Commerce Secretary wasn’t truthful. And then Comer called Lutnick’s testimony “very forthcoming” — as if admitting you lied while under congressional scrutiny is a virtue.
Only two Republicans showed up for the interview: Comer and Rep. William Timmons of South Carolina. Democrats accused Comer of deliberately scheduling high-profile witness interviews during recess weeks when most members are back in their districts.
The Administration Connection.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told reporters that Lutnick admitted to conferring with the Trump administration about the Epstein saga before his testimony. But when asked whether he specifically spoke with Trump in advance of Wednesday’s interview, Lutnick refused to answer.
“If Donald Trump had seen the video transcript, he would have fired Howard Lutnick. He’s lost all credibility, and really it’s a shame that the American people don’t get to see what he did there — total lack of truth and lack of honesty.” — Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA)
Ansari went further, saying Lutnick is complicit in “the most egregious cover up in American history.” That’s a strong claim. But when the Commerce Secretary has now admitted he lied about his timeline, visited the island he said he never went to, maintained a 14-year neighbor relationship with a convicted pedophile, conducted business meetings with Epstein after his conviction, and won’t say whether he coordinated his testimony with the president — it’s getting harder to call it an overstatement.
The Pattern.
This follows a clear trajectory. In October 2025, Lutnick claimed on a podcast he had zero contact with Epstein after 2005. In February 2026, during his confirmation hearing, the Epstein files revealed emails and business documents proving otherwise, and Lutnick admitted the island lunch for the first time. In April 2026, he refused to answer any Epstein questions at Senate and House Appropriations hearings, despite promising senators he had “nothing to hide.” Now, on May 6, he sat for an Oversight interview and admitted the full 14-year timeline — while still trying to minimize every interaction as “meaningless.”
Each time, the story gets worse. Each time, we learn the previous version was a lie. And each time, he stays in the cabinet.
Lutnick refused to answer reporters’ questions as he left the Oversight Committee room. A Commerce Department spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
The committee has also subpoenaed former Attorney General Pam Bondi for upcoming testimony on Epstein. Comer said he hasn’t ruled out videotaping that interview. For Lutnick, no such transparency was offered. The American public didn’t get to see it. They just got to hear about it from the lawmakers who did — and from the Republican chairman who admitted his witness wasn’t truthful before the questioning even began.
Sources.
- Politico: Lutnick admits to having prolonged ties to Epstein in closed-door interview — May 6, 2026. Detailed account of closed-door Oversight testimony. Neighbors 2005–2019. Saw massage table. Island lunch 2012. Met 2011 for renovations. Comer: “wasn’t 100 percent truthful.” Ansari: “inexplicable” visit. Khanna: conferred with administration. Lutnick won’t say if he spoke to Trump.
- Fox News: Democrat calls Howard Lutnick a ‘pathological liar’ after closed-door Epstein testimony — May 6, 2026. Ansari: “pathological liar,” “most egregious cover up in American history.” Khanna: “total lack of truth and lack of honesty.” Comer called testimony “very forthcoming” but admitted Lutnick was not “100% truthful” before. Source says Lutnick claims only three meetings total.
- CBS News: Lutnick and Epstein were in business together — Feb 6, 2026. Documents from Epstein files show Lutnick and Epstein signed December 2012 agreement to acquire stakes in Adfin, an ad-tech company. Signatures on neighboring pages. Nine shareholders total. Contradicts “no contact after 2005” claim.
- KOMO News/TNND: Commerce Secretary Lutnick confirms lunch with Epstein on private island — Feb 10, 2026. Lutnick’s February Senate testimony confirming island lunch: “My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies.” Email exchanges released by DOJ: “OK, lunch on Sunday.” Lutnick said he didn’t know why he went.
- Britannica: Howard Lutnick — Background on Lutnick-Epstein relationship. October 2025 podcast where Lutnick claimed no contact after 2005 massage table visit. February 2026 testimony contradicted that. Trump expressed continued support. Lutnick among most prominent officials in Epstein files.