Lutnick agrees to testify before House Oversight panel

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of the panel’s probe into the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Comer, the chair of the committee, wrote on the social platform X that Lutnick “proactively agreed to appear voluntarily” before the panel. 

“I commend his demonstrated commitment to transparency and appreciate his willingness to engage with the Committee,” the Kentucky Republican added. “I look forward to his testimony.”

Axios first reported that Lutnick agreed to an interview with the committee. The Commerce secretary told the outlet, “I look forward to appearing before the committee. I have done nothing wrong and I want to set the record straight.”

Axios reported that the interview will take place in the coming weeks.

Lutnick faced bipartisan calls to speak with the Oversight Committee last month, as new files released by the Department of Justice showed he maintained ties with Epstein years after he previously said he cut off contact with the convicted sex offender in 2005. 

One email from Lesley Groff, an assistant to Epstein, to Lutnick in November 2012 references that the latter will be “down in St. Thomas some over the holidays.” Groff said Epstein, whose private island of Little Saint James was southeast of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, requested that she “please pass along some phone numbers to you so the two of you can possibly get together.”

The next month, just before Christmas, Lutnick’s wife Allison wrote in an email to Groff that “we are looking forward to visiting you” and said her group included “2 families each with 4 kids ranging in age from 7-16! 6 boys and 2 girls.” 

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution and registered as a sex offender. 

Lutnick confirmed the meetup with Epstein while appearing last month before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. The Commerce secretary said he did not witness any illegal activity, and he has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection to Epstein. 

“My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple — 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 all together,” he noted at the time.

On Friday, Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.) asked Lutnick in a letter to produce records of his relationship with Epstein, including meetings, phone calls and correspondence.

“The American people and the survivors of Mr. Epstein’s crimes deserve a full accounting from every public official whose statements on this matter have proven incomplete,” the two wrote in a letter to Lutnick. “If, as you say, you have nothing to hide, then producing these records should be a straightforward matter.”

Despite a number of Democrats calling for Lutnick to resign in the wake of the revelations, President Trump has kept him on. White House spokesperson Kush Desai told The Hill on Tuesday that Lutnick “continues to be a critical asset for President Trump, having played a key role in securing major trade and investment deals.”

“The entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick, remain focused on delivering more wins for the American people,” Desai added.

The Hill has also reached out to the Commerce Department for comment.

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