US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday denied having an affair with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein even as he called on lawmakers to resign.
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick testifies during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on commerce, justice, science and related agencies in Washington, (Getty Image via AFP)Speaking about her relationship with Epstein, the US Commerce Secretary said she met the sex offender three times over 14 years. He said this in the hearing of the Senate committee.
“I didn’t have a relationship with Epstein,” she said, adding that she first met Epstein when the latter moved in next door. He said he also had lunch with the convicted sex offender while he was “on a boat near his island on a family vacation”. Lutnick and Epstein were neighbors in Manhattan.
“I had lunch with him when I was on a boat on a family vacation, my wife was with me, as were my four children and the nanny,” Lutnick said.
According to Reuters, “The only thing I saw was my wife and my children and other couples and their children who were employees who worked for Mr. Epstein on that island.”
The hearing comes days after documents released by the US Department of Justice indicated that Lutnick had previously mischaracterized the extent of her relationship with Epstein.
However, Lutnick told the Senate panel that he had no relationship with Epstein.
“For over 14 years, I had nothing to do with him. I had nothing to do with that person,” he told the Senate committee, adding that “I have made absolutely no mistake in anything that could possibly be related to Epstein.”
The hearing comes amid calls from some lawmakers to demand Lutnick’s resignation because of the Epstein affair.
Justice Department documents indicated that Lutnick and Epstein continued to exchange messages through 2018.
