US Commerce Secretary rejects resignation demands

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Published 2026-02-10 18.30

 

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Archive photo. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP/TT

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admits that he met Jeffrey Epstein on two occasions after he was convicted in 2008 of purchasing sex from a minor. But he rejects all resignation demands.

Lutnick has previously claimed that after a visit to Epstein's home in 2005, he decided never to meet him again. However, this has been contradicted by email correspondence published in the latest Epstein documents that have been released.

In a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Lutnick confirmed that he and his family visited Epstein's Caribbean island in 2012 and that they had lunch together, and that he also visited Epstein at his home in 2011.

There are growing calls for Lutnick to resign, from both Republicans and Democrats. However, he himself claims that his contact with Epstein was not significant:

- I had no ties to him. I had hardly anything to do with him.