Baba UmarWashington DC — The White House has affirmed President Donald Trump's support for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick amidst fresh revelations regarding his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that have sparked bipartisan outrage.
Lutnick is at the centre of an uproar following the release of millions of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case. These documents contradict Lutnick’s previous statements about his relationship with the late American financier.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that Trump "fully supports" Lutnick.
"Secretary Lutnick remains a very important member of President Trump's team and the president fully supports the secretary," Leavitt said.
During a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on February 10, 2026 — originally focused on broadband deployment funding — Lutnick was grilled by lawmakers about his ties to Epstein.
He admitted to visiting Epstein's private Caribbean island in 2012 for lunch with his wife, four children, nannies, and another family while on a boat vacation, describing it as a brief, hour-long stop.
Lutnick's admission contradicts his prior claims that he cut ties with Epstein in 2005, deeming him "disgusting" and refusing further contact.
Demands for Lutnick to step down
Democrats, such as Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Ted Lieu, have demanded Lutnick’s resignation, accusing him of misleading the public.
Some Republicans have joined these calls, particularly as prediction markets bet on his potential resignation.
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff said on Monday that "Lutnick has no business being our Commerce Secretary, and he should resign immediately."
He said Lutnick's denial of Epstein dealings raises serious concerns about his judgement and ethics.
On Sunday, Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie also told US broadcaster CNN that Lutnick "should just resign," citing resignations in politics in Great Britain.
Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, charged in a social media post that Lutnick "has been lying about his relationship with Epstein."
"He said he had no interactions with Epstein after 2005, yet we now know they were in business together," Garcia added.
The documents, released by the Justice Department in late January 2026, reveal Lutnick and Epstein corresponded until 2018, even after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor.
Lutnick has downplayed the connections, insisting he "barely had anything to do with" Epstein and had no real relationship, but the disclosures have sparked bipartisan uproar.
When asked if he observed anything untoward on Little Saint James, infamously known as Epstein Island, Lutnick stated to the hearing that, aside from his family and another couple present, he only encountered staff employed by Epstein on the island.
Prominent figures are facing scrutiny over visits to Little Saint James, linked to what US prosecutors say was underage sex trafficking by Epstein and his accomplices.
Lutnick, a Trump ally, was CEO at Cantor Fitzgerald before becoming US commerce secretary last year.
2006 Trump phone call
President Trump, who knew Epstein for several years, says they had a falling out before Epstein's first arrest. He has repeatedly claimed he knew nothing of Epstein's criminal behaviour.
On Tuesday, Leavitt told reporters that Trump has been "honest and transparent" about ending his association with Epstein while accusing Democrats of using selective leaks and "fake narratives" to smear him politically.
Regarding reports of a 2006 phone call where Trump allegedly praised police for investigating Epstein and said "everyone" knew about his actions, Leavitt said it "may or may not have happened"
"It was a phone call that may or may not have happened in 2006," she said. "I don't know the answer to that question."
"What President Trump has always said is that he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club because Jeffrey Epstein was a creep," she said. "And that remains true in this call. If it did happen it corroborates exactly what President Trump has said from the beginning."
