Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify before the House oversight committee as part of its investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I look forward to appearing before the committee,” Lutnick told Axios. “I have done nothing wrong and I want to set the record straight.”
Lutnick has appeared in the Epstein files and has maintained that he has no connections to the crimes of the disgraced financier.
The commerce secretary’s announced testimony comes less than a week after former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified as part of the committee’s investigation. The former president insisted he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes when he flew on Epstein’s plane in the early 2000s for the Clinton Foundation, and the former first lady said she had never met him.
“Secretary Lutnick has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. I commend his demonstrated commitment to transparency and appreciate his willingness to engage with the Committee. I look forward to his testimony,” Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement.
House Democrats have been seeking to subpoena Lutnick for several weeks. Following the Clintons’ deposition, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) announced that he believed Democrats had the votes to pursue a subpoena. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who helped champion the Epstein Files Transparency Act on the Right, said last week that Lutnick should testify.
“I believe we will have the votes to subpoena him, and we will work with ranking member [Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA)] to make sure that he comes before our committee,” Khanna said.
The Epstein documents released by the Department of Justice have revealed several email exchanges between Lutnick and Epstein since the two reportedly met in 2005. Lutnick and Epstein were neighbors in New York City, and, according to the files, the two engaged in communications over business dealings following Epstein’s initial 2008 conviction. Emails from 2012 show they also discussed Lutnick’s plan to visit Epstein’s island in the Caribbean with his family.
Lutnick testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee in February, stating he had met Epstein only three times.
“I did not have any relationship with him,” Lutnick said in the testimony. “I barely had anything to do with that person.”
TRUMP SAYS LUTNICK WOULD COMPLY WITH EPSTEIN SUBPOENA: ‘HE’S A VERY INNOCENT GUY’
President Donald Trump, who has also been named in the Epstein files but maintains his own innocence, likewise insisted on Lutnick’s innocence last Friday.
“Howard would go in and do whatever he had to say. He’s a very innocent guy,” Trump said.
