Howard Lutnick scrutiny grows as new photo shows him with Epstein
Lawmakers are intensifying scrutiny of howard lutnick after the justice department’s website restored a photo showing him with Jeffrey Epstein on Epstein’s private island. Democrats and Republicans are urging answers, and some members of Congress say they may have the votes to subpoena him to testify.
Photo shows Jeffrey Epstein and others
The restored image places Epstein front and center, surrounded by three other men. In the picture, Lutnick is visible a few feet behind Epstein, dressed in a blue shirt and white shorts. It has not been confirmed when the photo was taken, and the timing of the image remains unclear in the provided context.
Letter from senators seeks records
Democratic US senators Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Jeff Merkley of Oregon have addressed a letter to Lutnick calling on him to testify before Congress about his relationship with Epstein. The senators request that Lutnick produce all records of meetings, phone calls, and correspondence with Epstein or his associates, and a complete timeline of every interaction he has had with Epstein, including after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting an underage girl for prostitution.
Howard Lutnick and testimony calls
The letter also asks Lutnick to provide any information or evidence to support his earlier claim that Epstein “is the greatest blackmailer ever, ” a statement made in an October interview, and seeks answers regarding the nanny that Lutnick employed. The letter states: “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. ” It adds: “If, as you say, you have nothing to hide, then producing these records should be a straightforward matter. ” Lutnick has denied wrongdoing and said he has nothing to hide about his links to Epstein.
Subpoena talk in House oversight
The White House did not immediately respond to comment on the calls for Lutnick to testify. US House oversight committee chairperson James Comer, a Tennessee Republican, told reporters on Thursday that he is not ruling out the possibility that Lutnick would be issued a subpoena to testify. On Friday morning, US House member Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican who serves on the oversight committee, wrote that “Howard Lutnick should take questions” from the committee.
Committee members press for testimony
US House member Ro Khanna, a California Democrat and oversight committee member, said outside the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in New York on Friday: “I believe we will have the votes to subpoena him. ” Khanna’s remarks came shortly before Bill Clinton testified to the House committee about his ties to Epstein.
Lutnick’s past meetings with Epstein outlined
Lutnick was a longtime next-door neighbor of Epstein in New York and has previously said he distanced himself from Epstein in 2005. Justice department case files released earlier showed Lutnick had two later engagements with Epstein. He attended a 2011 event at Epstein’s home, and Lutnick’s family had lunch with Epstein on his private island in 2012 — four years after Epstein was sentenced to 13 months in jail for procuring a minor for prostitution.
Lutnick, described in context as a longtime ally of Donald Trump, admitted to the 2012 lunch during his 10 February testimony before the US Senate appropriations committee. “I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation, ” Lutnick said at that hearing. In that testimony he also insisted that he “barely had anything to do” with Epstein. The context includes a partial quoted line that reads: “I’m glad to be here to make it clear that I met Jeffr” — unclear in the provided context.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are continuing to press for documents, testimony and clarification about the extent of Lutnick’s ties to Epstein as the restored photo renews attention on their past interactions.
