{"id":2568325,"date":"2026-02-10T12:26:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lutnick-downplays-epstein-relations-barely-had-anything-to-do-with-that-person\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:29:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:29:25","slug":"lutnick-downplays-epstein-relations-barely-had-anything-to-do-with-that-person","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lutnick-downplays-epstein-relations-barely-had-anything-to-do-with-that-person\/","title":{"rendered":"Lutnick downplays Epstein relations: &#8220;Barely had anything to do with that person&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flutnick-downplays-epstein-relations-barely-had-anything-to-do-with-that-person%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2568325&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Howard Lutnick,President Trump\u2019s commerce secretary,faced Senate scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein during a broadband appropriations hearing. He testified that he met Epstein only three times over 14 years and insisted he had \u201cbarely anything to do with that person,\u201d saying there was no relationship and that their interactions were limited. Democrats pressed for full disclosure and even resignation, pointing to Department of Justice filings that revealed broader dealings and emails showing sporadic contact as recently as 2018, including a 2012 lunch on Epstein\u2019s private island and a planned 2011 drinks meeting. Lutnick acknowledged the in-person encounters but described the island lunch as part of a family vacation and said he did not witness any inappropriate behavior. Republicans largely defended him, with some calling for transparency, while a few Democrats, including Rep.Massie, urged Lutnick\u2019s resignation as the controversy continued to unfold.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Howard Lutnick downplays Epstein relations: &lsquo;Barely had anything to do with that person&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2499815\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/howard-lutnick\/\">Howard Lutnick<\/a>, President Donald Trump&rsquo;s commerce secretary, denied on Tuesday that he misled the public on his past interactions with the late <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jeffrey-epstein\/\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4450426\/massie-lutnick-resign-epstein-files-business\/\">downplayed his association<\/a> with the disgraced child sex offender.<\/p>\n<p>During questioning from Democrats at a Senate appropriations committee hearing on broadband, Lutnick, who for years lived next door to Epstein&rsquo;s New York City mansion, said he met the billionaire financier three times over the course of 14 years.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4451821\/eric-swalwell-adam-schiff-endorsement-california-governor-race\/\">Adam Schiff endorses Eric Swalwell for California governor<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4451164\/dhs-ice-government-shutdown\/\">Where government funding talks stand with DHS ahead of Friday deadline<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4450404\/adam-schiff-photo-id-voter-suppression\/\">Schiff says photo ID will &#8216;suppress the vote&#8217; despite most Democratic voters supporting it<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;I did not have any relationship with him,&rdquo; Lutnick testified. &ldquo;I barely had anything to do with that person.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Lutnick, himself a billionaire, is under scrutiny after the latest tranche of Epstein filings from the Department of Justice revealed more <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/convicted%20sex%20offender\">dealings with Epstein<\/a> than were previously disclosed, including after he became a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bail-fund-praised-by-kamala-harris-has-twice-freed-the-same-rioter-he-was-just-charged-again\/\" title=\"Bail Fund Praised By Kamala Harris Has Twice Freed The Same Rioter. He Was Just Charged Again.\">convicted sex offender<\/a> in 2008. Lutnick previously claimed he and his wife severed ties with Epstein in 2005, but emails in the Epstein filings showed the two had sporadic contact for years, including as recently as 2018, long after Epstein&rsquo;s initial guilty plea in Florida for sex crimes involving soliciting prostitution from a minor.<\/p>\n<p>Lutnick planned to get drinks with Epstein in 2011, and Lutnick and his family had lunch on Epstein&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epstein-bombshell-dem-congressman-texted-epstein-during-michael-cohen-hearing\/\" title=\"Epstein Bombshell: Dem Congressman Texted Epstein During Michael Cohen Hearing\">infamous private island<\/a> in the U.S. Virgin Islands in December 2012, according to emails. The two also emailed in 2018 about a construction project across the street from their New York residences.<\/p>\n<p>Lutnick admitted to three in-person interactions with Epstein, including in 2012 on the island, during questioning from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and testified that it was his final face-to-face encounter with Epstein.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies,&rdquo; Lutnick explained. &ldquo;I had another couple &mdash; they were there as well with their children, and we had lunch on the island. That is true, for an hour, and we left with all of my children, with my nannies, and my wife all together. We were on family vacation. We were not apart. To suggest there was anything untoward about that in 2012 &mdash; I don&rsquo;t recall why we did it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Lutnick further said he did not witness any inappropriate behavior on the island, which was the site of frequent parties and sexual encounters with underage girls. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein&rsquo;s accomplice in sexually abusing minors, was not present for the lunch. <\/p>\n<p>Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) also raised concerns, saying it &ldquo;troubles me that you took your family to lunch on his island, that you had appointments with him.&rdquo; He urged Lutnick to &ldquo;please disclose everything.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Lutnick suggested there were no additional, unreported interactions to reveal.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Graeme Jennings\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Under no circumstances is there a single word that I&rsquo;ve done anything remotely wrong in any possible regard,&rdquo; Lutnick said. &ldquo;I did not have anything you could call a relationship, anything you could call an acquaintance.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Lutnick is facing mounting calls from Democrats to resign, but most Republicans &mdash; save for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) &mdash; have rebuffed such suggestions.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s absurd. Howard Lutnick is a great commerce secretary. He&rsquo;s done an extraordinary job for the country, and Thomas Massie should <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >stop playing political games<\/a>,&rdquo; House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said. &ldquo;I know Howard as an individual, and I trust his word on it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4450426\/massie-lutnick-resign-epstein-files-business\/\">MASSIE CALLS FOR LUTNICK&rsquo;S RESIGNATION AFTER FILES SHOW DEALINGS WITH EPSTEIN POST-CONVICTION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) offered a more neutral position.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Transparency is something we all ought to aspire to here, and if there are folks who are named in there or discussed in there in some way, they&rsquo;re going to have to answer for that,&rdquo; Thune said.<\/p>\n<p><em>Rachel Schilke and David Sivak contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paraphrase:<br \/>\nCommerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a Senate panel that he did not mislead the public about his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein and downplayed their connection. He said he only met Epstein three times over about 14 years and denied having any real relationship with him, despite later Justice Department filings showing more contact than he previously disclosed, including after Epstein\u2019s 2008 conviction. The emails cited show Lutnick and his wife socializing with Epstein in 2012 on his private island, planning drinks in 2011, and exchanging messages in 2018 about a construction project near their homes. Lutnick acknowledged three in-person encounters, including a 2012 island lunch with his family, and said there was nothing improper about it. Senator Coons questioned the propriety of the family lunch on the island, while Lutnick said there were no additional undisclosed interactions. Republicans largely defended Lutnick, though Democrats urged greater transparency and, in some cases, resignation. Lutnick insisted there was no wrongdoing on his part.<\/p>\n<p>Title (55 characters or fewer):<br \/>\nLutnick says Epstein ties were minimal at hearing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2568326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/021026_WEX_LUTNICK-14-e1770742190369.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[8458,15541,9006,50626,16947],"class_list":["post-2568325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-denial","tag-downplays","tag-epstein","tag-lutnick","tag-relations"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/021026_WEX_LUTNICK-14-e1770742190369.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2568325"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2568329,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568325\/revisions\/2568329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2568326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2568325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2568325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2568325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}