Commerce secretary faces questions over Epstein ties on capitol hill

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is under fire from a bipartisan group of lawmakers who are demanding his resignation after newly released documents exposed extensive business and social ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick on Tuesday was grilled on Capitol Hill about his past association with Jeffrey Epstein, following revelations that they remained in contact years after Lutnick suggested he had distanced himself from the convicted sex offender. https://t.co/7tqyCf5ixT pic.twitter.com/12TmBjIBlT

— ABC News (@ABC) February 10, 2026

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is facing intensifying calls for his resignation following Justice Department revelations of continued contact with Jeffrey Epstein. Documents indicate Lutnick remained in business with the sex offender as recently as 2018, contradicting his previous claims of severing ties in 2005. Lawmakers from both parties now demand accountability for what they describe as misleading public statements.

“Look, Howard Lutnick clearly went to the island if we believe what’s in these files,” Republican Representative Thomas Massie stated Sunday. Massie, alongside Democrat Robert Garcia, argued that Lutnick’s presence in President Trump’s Cabinet is no longer tenable. Garcia added on social media, “Lutnick must resign or be fired. And he must answer our questions,” citing a 2012 investment both men shared.

Despite the controversy, the White House has stood by the Secretary, calling the administration the “most transformative” in history. Lutnick, testifying before a Senate committee Tuesday, downplayed the interactions as “very limited” and involving “absolutely nothing wrong.” However, emails from 2011 and 2012 detail social plans and a family lunch on Epstein’s private island, fueling further congressional scrutiny.

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