{"id":35774,"date":"2026-05-07T02:46:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:46:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kaizen-blog.org\/?p=35774"},"modified":"2026-05-07T02:59:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:59:34","slug":"lutnick-anhoerung-zu-epstein-die-insel-die-erinnerungsluecken-und-die-250-dokumente","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kaizen-blog.org\/en\/lutnick-anhoerung-zu-epstein-die-insel-die-erinnerungsluecken-und-die-250-dokumente\/","title":{"rendered":"Lutnick Hearing on Epstein: The Island, the Memory Lapses and the 250 Documents"},"content":{"rendered":"

Howard Lutnick sat for hours behind closed doors before the House committee and tried to explain why his story about Jeffrey Epstein now barely aligns with the released documents and investigations. The United States secretary of commerce, one of the most visible men in Donald Trump\u2019s cabinet, was questioned Wednesday by members of the House Oversight Committee about his contacts with the deceased sex offender. By the end, several Democrats left the room accusing Lutnick of lying, dodging questions and becoming entangled in contradictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lutnick on his way to the hearing<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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See also our investigations: Investigation shows: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Lied - Six Years of Business With Epstein<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

US Commerce Secretary: Subpoena Almost Certain - Lutnick Moves to the Center of Congress in the Epstein Case<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pressure on Lutnick had intensified steadily in recent months. According to an analysis, his name appears in more than 250 documents from the Epstein files released by the Justice Department. What made this especially explosive was not only the number of mentions, but the fact that multiple documents contradict Lutnick\u2019s earlier statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, Lutnick publicly claimed he had no contact with Epstein after a meeting in 2005. In a podcast last year, he said that he and his wife had decided at the time never again to be in the same room with Epstein. During a tour through his home, Epstein had allegedly told sexual stories that disgusted them both. \u201cMy wife and I decided I would never again be in a room with that disgusting human being,\u201d Lutnick said at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The documents now released paint a different picture. Justice Department records show that in 2012 Lutnick visited Epstein\u2019s private island, Little St. James, together with his family - four years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting minors for prostitution. According to testimony in the committee, Lutnick did not travel alone. On board were his wife, his children, several nannies and another family. That trip became one of the central points of Wednesday\u2019s hearing. Our investigations effectively contradict every statement made by Lutnick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to several participants in the session, Lutnick stated that he met Epstein only three times in total. Once for coffee and a house tour in New York after the two became neighbors on the Upper East Side. Another time on Epstein\u2019s island. And a third time regarding a construction project at Epstein\u2019s home that affected his own property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that explanation no longer convinced many lawmakers. Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari said after the session that Lutnick repeatedly portrayed his contacts with Epstein as \u201cmeaningless and insignificant.\u201d At the same time, however, he could not explain why he voluntarily visited Epstein\u2019s island years after Epstein\u2019s conviction - despite allegedly already being repulsed by him in 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n