Lutnick defends visit to Epstein's island with his family

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged Tuesday visiting Jeffrey Epstein connected his backstage land successful 2012, arsenic Senate Democrats called into question his credibility connected the issue. Justice Department files connected Epstein released recently amusement Lutnick and Epstein had a person relationship than Lutnick has antecedently stated.

Maryland's Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen recalled that Lutnick had antecedently claimed to person chopped disconnected interaction with Epstein, Lutnick's neighbour successful New York, successful 2005, "but present it turns retired not to beryllium true." Lutnick said past twelvemonth helium had "limited interactions" with Jeffrey Epstein, but documents amusement they were successful concern unneurotic arsenic precocious arsenic 2014, and emailed arsenic precocious arsenic 2018, the twelvemonth earlier Epstein's death.

"The accusation precocious revealed from the Epstein files amusement that your statements were astatine champion highly misleading," Van Hollen said. He added later, "Mr. Lutnick that does telephone into question your fittingness for the occupation you present clasp and the question of your credibility."

Lutnick continued to region himself from Epstein portion admitting to the interactions revealed successful the Epstein files. Lutnick said helium met with his next-door neighbour 2 times successful 14 years, and "I did not person immoderate narration with him, I hardly had thing to bash with that person. Okay?"

But Lutnick admitted he, his woman and kids, and different household visited Epstein connected his backstage Caribbean island. 

"We had luncheon connected the island, that is true, for an hour. Then we near with each of my children, with my nannies and my woman each together. We were connected household vacation. We were not apart. To suggest determination was thing untoward astir that successful 2012, I don't callback wherefore we did it. But we did," Lutnick said.

Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley besides noted interactions betwixt Lutnick and Epstein — ranging from a concern woody to emailed gripes astir an creation museum's enlargement — that Merkley said "collectively, it suggests that erstwhile you said successful 2005 you chopped disconnected each contact, that was not a afloat and implicit accounting."

Epstein and Lutnick's signatures look connected neighboring pages successful a 2012 contract, which was archetypal reported by CBS News. The convicted enactment offender and the erstwhile president of the fiscal services steadfast Cantor Fitzgerald each acquired stakes successful a now-shuttered advertizing exertion institution called Adfin. They signed the declaration connected Dec. 28, 2012, 4 days aft Lutnick's sojourn to Epstein's island.

The woody was struck much than 4 years aft Epstein agreed to participate a blameworthy plea to Florida authorities charges of procuring a kid for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute. The lawsuit raised allegations of a acold broader enactment trafficking scheme, and Epstein was charged with national felonies including trafficking. 

Democrats connected the Appropriations committee urged Lutnick to taxable his ain records proving his interactions with Epstein were constricted to what's already publically known.

Lutnick indicated helium would see doing so, but stopped abbreviated of promising.

"I volition surely speech astir that. I hadn't thought astir that. I person thing to hide, perfectly nothing," Lutnick said.