Newly Released Documents Reveal Howard Lutnick’s Business and Travel Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Years After Conviction
WASHINGTON — Newly released Department of Justice documents contradict previous statements by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick regarding his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The files reveal that Lutnick arranged a visit to Epstein’s private island and engaged in business dealings with him years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex crimes.
The revelations have sparked bipartisan calls for Lutnick’s resignation, as the documents challenge his earlier assertions that he severed all ties with Epstein in 2005.
According to the records released in late January and early February 2026, Lutnick and his family planned a trip to Little St. James, Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, in December 2012. Emails from the time show Epstein’s longtime assistant coordinating with Lutnick, noting that “Jeffrey Epstein understands you will be down in St. Thomas” and facilitating a meeting between the two men.
Further complicating Lutnick’s prior narrative are documents indicating continued financial entanglements. Records show that in December 2012, both Lutnick and Epstein were signatories to a business agreement to acquire stakes in Adfin, a now-defunct advertising technology company. Lutnick signed on behalf of a limited liability company, while Epstein signed for his own entity, Southern Trust Company, Inc.
These findings stand in stark contrast to Lutnick’s public comments. In a podcast interview last year, the Commerce Secretary stated that he had “cut off” Epstein in 2005 after a visit to the financier’s Manhattan townhouse. Lutnick described the encounter as “disgusting” and claimed he vowed never to be in a room with Epstein again.
However, the new tranche of documents suggests the relationship persisted well into the following decade. Beyond the island visit and the Adfin deal, the files indicate that Lutnick invited Epstein to a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in 2015. Additionally, a 2017 record shows Epstein received a thank-you note for a $50,000 donation made “in honor of Howard Lutnick.”
The disclosures have prompted immediate backlash from lawmakers. Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Representative Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) have both publicly called for Lutnick to step down.
“Howard Lutnick clearly went to the island, if we believe what’s in these files, he was in business with Jeffrey Epstein, and this was many years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted,” Rep. Massie told CNN. “He’s got a lot to answer for.”
In response to the growing controversy, a spokesperson for the Commerce Department maintained that Lutnick’s interactions with Epstein were minimal. “Mr. and Mrs. Lutnick met Jeffrey Epstein in 2005 and had very limited interactions with him over the next 14 years,” the statement read, adding that the Secretary “has never been accused of wrongdoing.”
The documents were part of a massive release of files mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the Department of Justice to make public its investigative records regarding the late sex offender. As scrutiny intensifies, questions remain regarding the full extent of the association between the sitting Commerce Secretary and the convicted sex offender.
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* forbes.com
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* ibtimes.com
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* tbsnews.net
* substack.com
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