‘Can't Recall Why’: Trump Aide Howard Lutnick Admits He Visited Epstein’s Island In 2012

Last Updated:February 11, 2026, 09:03 IST

Epstein Files released by the US Justice Department in recent weeks show that Lutnick travelled to the island on December 23, 2012.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who is facing scrutiny over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein, has now admitted that he visited the deceased sex offender’s private Caribbean island in 2012, contradicting his earlier claims that he had cut ties years before.

Testifying before the US Congress on Tuesday, Lutnick confirmed for the first time that he had lunch with Epstein on Little Saint James, four years after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

“I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation," Lutnick told lawmakers. “My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. We had lunch on the island. That is true. For an hour."

What DoJ files said?

Files released by the US Justice Department in recent weeks show that Lutnick travelled to the island on December 23, 2012. Emails records stated that his wife contacted Epstein’s assistant that morning to arrange anchoring their boat near the island.

Lutnick says he cannot recall the reason

During the hearing, Lutnick said he could not remember why the visit took place.

“I don’t recall why we did it, but we did it," he said. He told lawmakers that over a 14-year period he met Epstein only three times and exchanged about 10 emails.

“Over a 14-year period, I did not have any relationship with him, I barely had anything to do with that person," he said.

Earlier claims about cutting ties

For years, Lutnick had said he severed ties with Epstein in 2005 after what he described as an uncomfortable encounter at Epstein’s New York townhouse involving a massage table and a sexually suggestive remark.

He had previously told Congress that he had vowed never to be “in a room" with Epstein again after that incident.

Calls for Lutnick’s resignation

The latest disclosures have led to renewed bipartisan calls for Lutnick’s resignation over his past relationship with Epstein.

However, despite the criticism, the White House said Lutnick continues to have the confidence of President Donald Trump.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Lutnick “remains a very important member" of the President’s team.

Lutnick insisted during the hearing that he had done nothing wrong.

“I know and my wife knows that I have done absolutely nothing wrong in any possible regard," he said.

A Commerce Department spokesperson said Lutnick’s interactions with Epstein were limited and took place in the presence of his family.

Lawmakers challenge Lutnick’s statements

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen questioned Lutnick over what he described as misleading statements.

“The issue is not that you engaged in any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein," Van Hollen said, “but that you totally misrepresented the extent of your relationship with him, to the Congress, to the American people and to the survivors of his despicable criminal and predatory acts."

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna and Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who helped pass the law requiring the release of Epstein-related files, have both called on Lutnick to resign.

Massie said the documents were “likely incriminating" for some individuals named in them, while Khanna said further disclosures were needed.

Questions over Epstein files

Lutnick is among a number of prominent figures named in more than 3.5 million pages of documents released by the Justice Department under a congressional mandate.

The files include emails, messages and records involving politicians, business leaders and celebrities, showing the influential circles in which Epstein moved before his arrest and death in jail in 2019.

Democrats have also questioned whether the Trump administration has fully complied with the disclosure law, noting that millions of pages remain unreleased or heavily redacted.

News world ‘Can't Recall Why’: Trump Aide Howard Lutnick Admits He Visited Epstein’s Island In 2012

Read More