House Releases Lutnick Epstein Transcript

The House Oversight Committee released a transcript on Wednesday of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's closed-door interview on May 6, in which he described three limited in-person interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and retracted a prior claim that the financier had blackmailed people.

Lutnick, who lived next door to Epstein on New York City's Upper East Side from around 2005 to 2019, testified that their first encounter occurred shortly after he moved in. During a brief tour of Epstein's townhouse with his wife, Epstein showed a massage table and responded to a question about it by saying, according to Lutnick's recollection, "every day and the right kind of massage." Lutnick interpreted the remark as sexual in nature, calling it inappropriate and off-putting. He and his wife left after 10 to 15 minutes and decided to avoid any personal or professional relationship with Epstein.

Lutnick detailed two later meetings he described as meaningless and inconsequential. In 2011, he visited Epstein's foyer briefly with his dog to discuss scaffolding related to a neighborhood construction issue; his wife waited outside. In late 2012, while vacationing in the U.S. Virgin Islands with his...