Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Scheduled for House Oversight Interview Regarding Jeffrey Epstein Ties

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is set for a May 6 interview with House Oversight regarding his 2012 visit to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 7, 2026, 5:23 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from CNBC

The Voluntary Transcribed Interview Mandate

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has reached an agreement with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to undergo a formal interview regarding his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Scheduled for May 6, the session is categorized as a voluntary transcribed interview, according to sources familiar with the arrangement. Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer confirmed the Secretary’s cooperation in early March, seeking clarity on Lutnick’s interactions with Epstein and his convicted associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. This development marks a significant escalation in the committee's broader probe into the high-profile social and professional networks that surrounded Epstein for decades.

Contradictions in Previous Testimony

The upcoming interview follows a period of intense scrutiny regarding Lutnick’s public statements about his history with the financier. During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on February 10, Lutnick admitted to hosting a family lunch with Epstein on the latter's private Caribbean island in December 2012. This admission stood in direct contrast to earlier claims that he had severed all ties with Epstein, his former New York neighbor, as early as 2005. Department of Justice files have reportedly indicated that communication between the two men continued for several years beyond the timeframe Lutnick originally provided to federal lawmakers.

The Timeline of the 2012 Island Visit

The 2012 lunch on Epstein’s island is a focal point for investigators because it occurred more than four years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting an underage girl. Lutnick testified that he attended the meal with his family and their nannies, a detail that has raised questions about the Secretary's awareness of Epstein's criminal history at the time. Committee members are expected to press Lutnick on the nature of his continued hospitality and whether any official or business matters were discussed during their subsequent interactions in the years leading up to Epstein's 2019 arrest and death.