House

Comer says Lutnick ‘wasn’t 100 percent truthful’ about being on Epstein’s island ahead of interview

Comments:

by Sudiksha Kochi - 05/06/26 2:25 PM ET

Comments:

Link copied

by Sudiksha Kochi - 05/06/26 2:25 PM ET

Comments:

Link copied

NOW PLAYING

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) told reporters ahead of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s testimony before the panel that Lutnick had not been “100 percent truthful” about whether he had been on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s island.

Lutnick is appearing before the Oversight panel on Wednesday for a closed-door, transcribed interview as part of its investigation into Epstein.

Lutnick has come under increasing scrutiny after he admitted in February to visiting Epstein’s private island, despite previously telling senators that he had cut off all contact with the disgraced financier after first meeting him in 2005. He noted that his wife and children were with him during the visit.

The Associated Press also reported that Lutnick kept in touch with Epstein, emailing him in 2018 about a possible expansion of a museum in their neighborhood.

“At the end of the day, I haven’t seen wrongdoing in the email correspondence, but he wasn’t 100 percent truthful with whether or not he had been on the island,” Comer said.

Comer also said the Oversight panel “hasn’t talked to too many people that have admitted they’ve been on the island.”

“So, my understanding, he wasn’t on the island very long. He was there with his wife and kids, but we’ll see what he says,” Comer said.

Lutnick previously testified before the Senate Appropriation Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies that he hadn’t seen any suspicious or unlawful behavior on the island.

“The only thing I saw with my wife and my children and the other couple and their children were staff who worked with Mr. Epstein on that island,” Lutnick said at the time.

He also denied knowing about a document suggesting he joined a dinner with Woody Allen at Epstein’s residence in 2011.

“I looked through the millions of documents for my name, just like everybody else, and what I found was there was a document that said that I had a meeting with him in May, I think, for an hour at 5 o’clock. Not dinner or otherwise,” he said.

Alexander Bolton contributed to this report.

Add as preferred source on Google