Democrats on the House Oversight Committee accused Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of giving an "embarrassing" and evasive closed-door interview Wednesday about his past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, with one lawmaker saying President Donald Trump would fire him if he had seen the testimony on video.
"If Donald Trump had seen the video transcript, he would have fired Howard Lutnick," Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told reporters after Lutnick finished more than four hours of questioning before the committee. The interview was not videotaped, a decision Democrats criticized as a double standard in an investigation that has included video-recorded depositions of other high-profile figures, including former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee chairman, defended the decision, saying Lutnick appeared voluntarily and that the panel's work is easier when witnesses cooperate instead of forcing lawmakers to consider subpoenas. "Nobody wants to be videoed. If you come in, you work with us, then you know, you might not have to be videoed," Comer said, according to reporters at the Capitol.
The committee is expected to release a transcript of Lutnick's interview, said the AP. Comer said the commerce secretary was "forthcoming" and described his contacts with Epstein as limited. Democrats emerged with a sharply different account, accusing Lutnick of lying, dodging questions, and failing to explain why his public statements changed after Justice Department files showed contact with Epstein years after Lutnick had suggested he cut ties.
Lutnick previously said he stopped associating with Epstein after a disturbing 2005 visit to Epstein's Manhattan home. But Justice Department files released this year showed later contacts, including a 2011 event at Epstein's home and a 2012 lunch with Lutnick's family on Epstein's private island. Epstein had been sentenced in 2008 to 13 months in jail after pleading guilty in Florida to procuring a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution.
During Senate testimony on Feb. 10, Lutnick acknowledged the island lunch but minimized the relationship. "I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation," Lutnick said, according to C-SPAN. In that same appearance, he said he "barely had anything to do" with Epstein.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., said Lutnick told Oversight Committee members that he could not remember key details about the island visit. According to Subramanyam, Lutnick "could remember nothing about the visit to the island," including why he was there or what he saw.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., went further, telling reporters she was comfortable calling Lutnick "a pathological liar" and accusing him of enabling what she described as "the most egregious cover-up in American history."
Ansari said Lutnick called the island visit "inexplicable" and described his encounters with Epstein as "meaningless and inconsequential."
Lutnick has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. The White House has continued to support him, and AP reported that the administration has emphasized his work on Trump's economic agenda.
The dispute now turns on the transcript.
Republicans say Lutnick cooperated and answered questions. Democrats say the lack of video shields a Cabinet secretary from the same public scrutiny imposed on others in the Epstein inquiry. Until the transcript is released, the hearing has produced more political conflict than clarity and renewed questions.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
