Commerce Secretary Lutnick to Testify on Epstein Ties Before Congress

US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to Testify Before House Committee

US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has agreed to provide a transcribed interview to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, according to panel chair James Comer. This decision comes after files revealed closer ties between Lutnick and Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier who died in 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges.

Lutnick lived next door to Epstein in New York for over a decade and had previously stated that he decided to “never be in the room” with Epstein again following an uncomfortable encounter at the financier’s Manhattan penthouse in 2005. However, files released by the Justice Department earlier this year showed that Lutnick met and communicated with Epstein for years after the reported 2005 encounter.

Lutnick has also acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island of Little Saint James in 2012. Comer stated that he had sent letters to seven individuals seeking written testimony about their knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, including Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, private equity investor Leon Black, and top Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler.

The committee’s requests for testimony come after former US President Bill Clinton and his wife, ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, appeared before lawmakers last week to answer questions about their ties to Epstein. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will review the testimony provided by Lutnick and other individuals in connection with their knowledge of Epstein’s activities.

Comer expressed appreciation for Lutnick’s willingness to engage with the committee and look forward to his testimony.

Source: Al Jazeera