Epstein files reveal Commerce Secretary Lutnick visited Epstein's island for lunch, contradicting his claims he cut ties

Newly released Epstein documents revealed that Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick--who claimed in interviews that after a 2005 encounter at Epstein's home he 'will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again'--continued contact with Epstein for years afterward. Emails show: A 2011 message saying 'Howard Lutnick returned your call'; another reading 'Howard Lutnick will come see you at 5 p.m.'; and an alarm message heading 'Drinks w/Howard Lutnick' from that same year. Most damning: On December 23, 2012, Lutnick and his wife made plans to visit Epstein's Caribbean island Little Saint James for lunch. Lutnick's wife wrote to Epstein's secretary that morning: 'We are heading towards you from St. Thomas' and asked where to anchor. A day later, Epstein's assistant sent a follow-up note reading 'Nice seeing you.' Additionally, a November 2015 email shows Lutnick invited Epstein to a Democratic fundraiser for Hillary Clinton that Lutnick hosted. The Commerce Department responded that Lutnick had 'limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing'--a statement that did not address the contradiction between his public claims of cutting ties in 2005 and documented contact through at least 2015.