Bipartisan Lawmakers Demand Lutnick Resignation Over Epstein Ties

Bipartisan lawmakers are demanding the resignation of U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick following the release of federal files that reveal ongoing communications and social interactions between him and the late Jeffrey Epstein years after Lutnick claimed to have severed ties.

The documents, part of a Justice Department trove exceeding 3 million pages unsealed late last month, show that Lutnick and Epstein, former neighbors on Manhattan's Upper East Side, maintained contact for at least 13 years. This includes exchanges occurring after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea to soliciting prostitution involving a minor. Among the records are emails from 2012 in which Lutnick appeared to arrange a visit to Epstein's private island, Little St. James, off St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. One message from Epstein's assistant noted Lutnick's holiday plans in the area and offered phone numbers to facilitate a meeting. A subsequent note suggested the encounter took place, stating, "Nice seeing you."

Additional files indicate the men planned drinks in New York in May 2011 and that Lutnick invited Epstein to an intimate fundraising event with Hillary Clinton in November 2015. They also...