House Democrats accused Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of lying under oath and helping conceal the truth about his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein after a tense, hours-long Capitol Hill interview on Wednesday.
Lawmakers emerged from the closed-door session divided, with Democrats blasting Lutnick’s answers as evasive and dishonest while one Republican defended the Trump Cabinet official as cooperative and transparent.
The testimony, conducted by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, was part of an ongoing investigation into Epstein and the network of powerful figures connected to the convicted sex offender.
Lutnick agreed to sit for questioning after pressure mounted on the committee, including a push from Republican Rep. Nancy Mace to force a subpoena vote if he refused.
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick has just VOLUNTARILY appeared and testified on Epstein before the House Oversight Committee
Pam Bondi and BILL GATES are testifying next
"Lutnick told lawmakers they only met 3 times, and when he saw a massage table at Epstein's… pic.twitter.com/wz5TgQW2bw
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 6, 2026
By the time the interview ended, Lutnick had fielded hundreds of questions over several hours, according to a Commerce Department spokesperson, who said the session concluded only after lawmakers exhausted their inquiries.
“He explained repeatedly that three encounters do not constitute a relationship,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The committee adjourned without identifying any evidence to the contrary.”
Democrats, however, said what they heard raised more concerns than it answered.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said Lutnick’s explanations about his visit to Epstein’s private island were “mind boggling,” focusing on what he described as a glaring gap in the secretary’s memory.
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“He somehow remembers going to the island after pictures surfaced of him being at the island, but he doesn’t remember why he went to the island,” Subramanyam told reporters outside the room. “This is absolutely absurd, and he should resign.”
Subramanyam said Lutnick appeared uncomfortable under questioning and repeatedly refused to acknowledge inconsistencies in his prior statements.
“He was evasive, nervous. He was dishonest,” he added. “He would not admit to lying, which he clearly did.”
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam: "Howard Lutnick should resign. That was just absolutely mind-boggling what we just heard in that room. He was evasive, nervous, and dishonest." pic.twitter.com/GxCY7YZyJp
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) May 6, 2026
Rep. Yassamin Ansari accused Lutnick of playing a role in concealing critical details tied to Epstein.
“I feel very comfortable saying that Howard Lutnick is a pathological liar,” she said after stepping out of the session.
She also described what she called “the most egregious cover-up in American history,” arguing Lutnick’s testimony failed to explain how he could have maintained contact with Epstein despite the financier’s legal troubles.
Ansari said she pressed Lutnick directly on how he could claim ignorance of Epstein’s criminal history.
Still appalled by the lies we heard today. I hope every American who cares about the truth reads the entirety of the transcribed interview with Howard Lutnick when it’s released. https://t.co/0KYVRoRhdz
— Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (@RepYassAnsari) May 7, 2026
“I asked him, ‘How did I as a child at the time see this all over the media about Jeffrey Epstein and you, an adult who was this person’s neighbor, who had engaged with him before — how could you possibly not have known?’” she told the press.
She described the exchange as deeply troubling, adding that the lack of video recording for the interview left the public without a clear view of what took place.
Rep. Ro Khanna echoed that frustration, arguing the testimony would have had serious consequences if it had been televised.
“We know why that interview was not videotaped,” Khanna claimed. “If Donald Trump had seen the video transcript, he would have fired Howard Lutnick.”
Khanna described Lutnick’s answers as “contortions and lies,” saying the Cabinet official struggled to respond to basic questions about his past statements. “It was really embarrassing,” he added.
Khanna: "Someone obviously got to Lutnick from the administration. In fact, he said he talked to people in the administration and that's why he's changed his tune. The question is why he's covering up." pic.twitter.com/2LAUz1VfVN
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 6, 2026
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer dismissed the criticism and suggested Democrats were repeating questions rather than uncovering new information.
“The mistakes that Ro Khanna’s made and come out and delivered to you all, I can’t keep up with,” Comer said, disputing claims that Lutnick had misled lawmakers.
The Kentucky congressman said Lutnick had been forthcoming about his limited interactions with Epstein, describing them as isolated encounters spread over several years.
“There’s only so many questions you can ask Howard Lutnick,” he said, adding that the secretary had already acknowledged visiting Epstein’s island briefly with his family.
According to Comer, Lutnick corrected earlier statements about that visit during his opening remarks to the committee.
“The only thing that I’ve seen that Lutnick did wrong … wasn’t 100 percent truthful on the brief visit to the island with his family,” Comer said. “He corrected that.”
Khanna: "Someone obviously got to Lutnick from the administration. In fact, he said he talked to people in the administration and that's why he's changed his tune. The question is why he's covering up." pic.twitter.com/2LAUz1VfVN
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 6, 2026
He added that any confirmed false statements could still carry legal consequences. “It’s a felony to lie to Congress and he’ll be held accountable,” Comer noted.
The scrutiny surrounding Lutnick intensified after newly released Epstein-related documents showed he had contact with the financier more recently than previously disclosed.
The billionaire businessman, who once led Cantor Fitzgerald, had earlier said he distanced himself from Epstein years before the disgraced financier’s legal troubles escalated.
Lutnick has acknowledged visiting Epstein’s island in 2012, insisting he was there with his family and did not witness any wrongdoing.
“We left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife,” Lutnick told lawmakers. “All together. We were on a family vacation.”
“I don’t recall why we did it, but we did,” he added.
Lawmakers have been eager to question Lutnick about those interactions since the Justice Department released a massive trove of Epstein-related files.
The Oversight Committee’s investigation has already drawn in several high-profile figures.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both appeared before the panel earlier this year.
Additional testimony is scheduled in the coming weeks, including a transcribed interview with former Attorney General Pam Bondi and a planned appearance by tech billionaire Bill Gates.
The controversy deepened Wednesday evening when a federal judge unsealed a document described as a suicide note attributed to Epstein.
BREAKING: Jeffrey Epstein's alleged su*cide note has been released, according to the New York Times.
The outlet says they were *not* able to authenticate that Epstein wrote it.
"They investigated me for months — FOUND NOTHING!!!" the note read.
"It is a treat to be able to… pic.twitter.com/upZ2Rc5SjM
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 6, 2026
In the note, Epstein appears to suggest he was wrongfully accused without directly declaring innocence.
“They investigated me for month[s] — FOUND NOTHING!!!” the note begins, before referencing allegations dating back more than a decade.
“It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye,” the note continues. “Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN.”
The document ends with the words “NOT WORTH IT!!!” written in all caps and underlined.
The authenticity of the note has not been independently verified, and its release stems from a legal dispute involving Epstein’s former cellmate.
According to filings, the note was discovered inside a book after Epstein was removed from his cell following a previous incident.
If you have the facts that he is guilty then lay it out
That would limit them to attacking people guilty of something.
So just how does this kabuki theater do anything for We The People? Why are they wasting our time and money on this crap?