US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Wednesday faced sharp criticism from Democrats in Congress over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with several lawmakers accusing him of misleading the public and calling for his resignation.
A House oversight panel is investigating the network around Epstein, the financier who died in jail in 2019, including how he amassed his wealth and whether influential figures helped protect him.
Documents released earlier this year showed Lutnick maintained contact with Epstein longer than he had previously acknowledged. During a Senate hearing, Lutnick said he had visited Epstein's private Caribbean island in 2012, years after Epstein's 2008 conviction for sex offences involving minors.
Lutnick denied wrongdoing, saying he had not witnessed any criminal activity during the family visit.
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna accused Lutnick of trying to reframe earlier remarks in which he said he would never again want to be in a room with Epstein after a 2005 meeting.
"He was trying to define 'I,' as if saying that what he really meant is that he would not see Epstein alone, but would be totally fine with having his wife and kids see Epstein. It made no sense," Khanna said.
Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari called the case "the most egregious cover-up in American history," and said Lutnick could not credibly claim ignorance of Epstein's crimes before visiting the island.
Several Democrats also alleged Lutnick revised earlier remarks about possible blackmail and video recordings after speaking with officials in US President Donald Trump's administration.
Committee chairman James Comer, a Republican, said Lutnick had not been "100% truthful" about his island visits, but added he had seen no evidence of wrongdoing in the correspondence reviewed so far.
