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Howard Lutnick — House Oversight Transcribed Interview

Transcribed interview of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick regarding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. · View Person Page →
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · May 6, 2026 · Washington, D.C.
Transcript released: May 13, 2026 · Voluntary appearance · No video recording (refused by witness)
Source: House Oversight Committee release · Full transcript PDF
No video exists. Lutnick's counsel arranged a text-only transcribed interview in lieu of a video deposition — the only House Oversight Epstein witness to refuse video recording.

Contradictions Against EFTA Evidence and Prior Statements

Lutnick's testimony is contradicted by documentary evidence in the EFTA corpus and by his own prior public statements. See full person page for all source documents.

"I never established a personal or professional relationship with Epstein" — Opening statement and repeated throughout. Lutnick claims their relationship was purely incidental — three chance interactions as neighbors over 14 years, none of which constituted any relationship.
CORPUS CONTRADICTS: EFTA02671545 (Nov 2015): Lutnick personally invited Epstein to "a very intimate fundraising event with Hillary Clinton" at Cantor Fitzgerald's 499 Park Avenue offices — a professional and social relationship. EFTA00475742 and EFTA00475738 (May 2018): Lutnick urgently emailed Epstein about the Frick Collection expansion blocking both their views: "You should put in a letter. I'm sending a lawyer. Don't ignore this." Epstein replied "WILL DO!" — coordinated political lobbying with a convicted sex offender. EFTA00289560 (Dec 28, 2012): Lutnick's entity CVAFH I LLC co-invested with Epstein's Southern Trust in AdFin Solutions four days after the island visit — a direct professional co-investment. Senate Appropriations testimony (Feb 10, 2026): Previously admitted eight post-2005 contacts identified by Sen. Merkley.
"I was not personally an investor in AdFin. Cantor Fitzgerald had a subsidiary." — When asked "Were you personally an investor in AdFin Solutions?" Lutnick answered: "No." He attributed the investment entirely to Cantor Ventures, a subsidiary several layers down.
CORPUS CONTRADICTS: EFTA00289560: Lutnick personally signed the AdFin Series A stock purchase agreement as CVAFH I LLC — $350,000 equity stake. EFTA00289477 (Dec 26, 2013): Lutnick's CVAFH I LLC also issued a $2,000,000 unsecured convertible promissory note to AdFin, bringing total exposure to $2.35M. EFTA01084694: AdFin board document lists "Howard Lutnick, Jed Kleckner and Henrique de Castro will join the Board" — Lutnick was not merely a passive fund investor but a planned board member. His counsel at the deposition tried to clarify "which part of Cantor Fitzgerald" but Lutnick's personal signature on the agreement is not attributable to an unnamed subsidiary.
"I think I had one set of email interactions — four emails in one day" — Lutnick testified he emailed Epstein only once, four messages in a single exchange.
CORPUS CONTRADICTS: His own counsel proferred EFTA01050718 as a separate prior email conversation between Lutnick and Epstein about the Frick expansion — a distinct second email exchange. The May 2018 AdFin prospects exchange introduced as Exhibit 4 (EFTA01050772) is yet another separate thread. EFTA01869477 / EFTA01777659 (Mar–Apr 2011): Phone calls arranged through assistants, including Lutnick returning Epstein's call on April 4, 2011 — phone contact in addition to email. EFTA02152981 (Dec 24, 2012): The day after the island lunch, Groff wrote to Lutnick on Epstein's behalf: "Jeffrey wished me to pass along the below to you: Nice seeing you. Please read #2 dot three" — yet another communication. Senate Appropriations testimony identified at least eight instances of post-2005 contact.
"I still have no idea how his staff discovered my family's vacation plans" — On the 2012 island visit, Lutnick says Epstein's staff "somehow" learned his family would be near the island and reached out unprompted, which he found "inexplicable and unsettling."
CORPUS CONTRADICTS: EFTA02155312 (Nov 2012): Epstein's calendar shows he proactively emailed both Lutnick and Bobby Kotick simultaneously asking for their island phone numbers — "did bobby kotick and howard lutnick get my email yesterday re island #'s?" This was an active coordinated outreach to arrange simultaneous holiday visits, not staff stumbling upon vacation plans. EFTA00401062: Groff email confirms Epstein coordinated Thanksgiving 2012 island visits with both Lutnick and Kotick, providing them each other's phone numbers to "possibly get together" in St. Thomas.
"I was just speculating for a podcast" (on Epstein as blackmailer) — In October 2025, Lutnick told the Pod Force One podcast that Epstein "had an MO to give massages to influential individuals" and was "the greatest blackmailer ever." At the deposition he said this was pure speculation with "no personal information," and said he later changed his mind based on "public comments from administration officials" — but could not identify which officials when pressed.
The claim that blackmail was "just podcast speculation" is difficult to reconcile with Lutnick's detailed account: he claimed Epstein specifically offered "the right kind of massage" during their 2005 visit, described seeing a massage table, and interpreted the remark as sexual. That firsthand experience — plus Lutnick being flagged in FBI files as the only Epstein associate investigated for financial crimes rather than sexual offenses — makes the "just speculating" framing appear implausible. EFTA01655450 (Oct 2025): FBI Daily News Briefing recorded Lutnick's blackmail claim verbatim. When Rep. Walkinshaw pressed him on which administration officials corrected his view, Lutnick acknowledged he would not discuss conversations with President Trump about the testimony.
"I don't remember him registering as a sex offender. If I knew, I wouldn't have gone to the island." — Lutnick claims he was unaware that his next-door neighbor had been convicted and registered as a sex offender when he brought his family — including eight children ages 7–16 — to Epstein's private island in December 2012.
Epstein's June 2008 guilty plea and sex offender registration was one of the most reported criminal cases of that year. Epstein was Lutnick's immediate next-door neighbor at 9 East 71st Street (Lutnick at 11 East 71st), living adjacent to him from 2005 onward. EFTA01249210: FBI formal assessment (2021) confirms Lutnick and Epstein shared contractors, a painter (Dominick Ziewiek), and a nanny contact. Deutsche Bank KYC records list the Lutnick family as Epstein's neighbors. This degree of physical proximity and shared-contractor relationship makes it extraordinary that Lutnick would not have been aware of his neighbor's widely publicized 2008 conviction.
"I rang the bell, sat in his foyer with my dog" (2011 meeting) — Lutnick describes the 2011 interaction as a brief, almost reluctant doorstep call: he rang the bell, waited in the foyer, heard what Epstein had to say (about "scaffolding"), and left. "Meaningless and inconsequential."
CORPUS CONTRADICTS: EFTA02189429 (May 2011): Epstein's calendar entry reads "5:00 Drinks w/Howard Lutnick" — a scheduled social engagement, not an unannounced doorbell ring. The same-day calendar includes Leon Black, Michael Wolff, and Woody Allen as other social engagements, suggesting Epstein viewed the Lutnick visit as a normal social appointment. EFTA01869477 and EFTA01777659 (Mar–Apr 2011): Phone calls arranged through assistants over several weeks before the meeting — a coordinated effort inconsistent with "scaffolding."
Refused video recording — Lutnick is the only witness in the House Oversight Epstein investigation to refuse video recording of his testimony. His counsel arranged a text-only transcribed interview.
Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Les Wexner, Ghislaine Maxwell, Darren Indyke, Richard Kahn, and all other principal witnesses submitted to video depositions. Rep. Walkinshaw stated: "I'm struggling sitting here listening to you try to describe and define 'I' and 'I' as a man. I think if the American people saw it on video, they would be struggling as well." Rep. Ansari asked directly whether Lutnick would consent to video; he responded that he would "prefer to just answer questions about my three meaningless and inconsequential meetings as briefly as possible."

Opening Statement (verbatim)

The following is Lutnick's opening statement as delivered at the May 6, 2026 interview.

Secretary Lutnick: Chairman Comer, members of the committee, and committee staff, I unequivocally condemn the conduct attributed to Jeffrey Epstein and everyone who participated in his illegal activities. The survivors of his crimes deserve our respect and support.
Secretary Lutnick: I voluntarily agreed to appear and answer questions in connection with this committee's investigation. I would like to begin by briefly describing my virtually nonexistent interactions with this individual who lived adjacent to my New York City home.
Secretary Lutnick: In 1997, I purchased an unfinished townhouse as my family home in New York City. Renovations took several more years than expected due to the events of September 11th terrorist attacks and their impact on me, my family, and all of my coworkers in the World Trade Center. Approximately 8 years after our purchase, in 2005, my family and I finally moved into our new home, which happened to be adjacent to his residence.
Secretary Lutnick: Shortly thereafter, my wife and I were invited by that individual to his residence for coffee. During this brief interaction that included my wife, me, and this individual, he made a crude and gross remark in my wife's presence, which caused us to cut the visit short and leave. Immediately following that brief initial meeting, as we walked back to our home, my wife and I discussed the encounter and that, given his clear lack of boundaries, I would never establish a personal or professional relationship with him. And that is exactly what I did.
Secretary Lutnick: Following this 2005 interaction, my only other two interactions with Epstein over the ensuing 14 years were both meaningless and inconsequential. My second interaction occurred 6 years later, in 2011, when his staff initiated contact with my office, suggesting he had a reason to get in touch with me. Our offices attempted to connect us by phone over the course of several weeks but were unable to do so. Ultimately, to the best of my recollection, his staff indicated he would be in his residence on a particular weekend afternoon. And my staff arranged for me to ring his bell, during my and my wife's typical Sunday walk around the block with our dogs, to hear what he had to say. My best recollection is: I rang the bell, sat in his foyer with my dog, waited for him to come down, heard what he had to say, and left. As far as I recall, it was about scaffolding. It was meaningless and inconsequential.
Secretary Lutnick: Next, some 18 months later, in late 2012, his staff inexplicably contacted my office, unprompted, regarding my family's planned holiday travels to the Caribbean. Unbeknownst to me, his staff somehow had become aware that my family and I would be near his island over the holidays, although they were apparently unsure whether that meant during the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays. I still have no idea how his staff discovered my family's vacation plans or why they pursued arranging a visit with me. […] My family of six and another family of six had a brief, meaningless, and inconsequential lunch and then left.
Secretary Lutnick: To put this in perspective, Epstein lived in the house next door to my family for 14 years, and in that entire time, I interacted with him in person only three times. Again, each meaningless and inconsequential. I had no personal or professional relationship with this individual, despite the proximity of our addresses.
Secretary Lutnick: On a podcast in October 2025, I informally recounted that conversation. What I said on the podcast, regarding my conversation with my wife, was correct. I did not establish a personal or professional relationship with that individual. The documents and my prior testimony confirm that.

Selected Exchanges (Q&A)

Mr. Emmer: Were you personally an investor in AdFin Solutions?
Secretary Lutnick: No.
Mr. Emmer: Was Cantor Fitzgerald an investor in AdFin Solutions?
Secretary Lutnick: Yes.
Mr. Emmer: Did you know that Mr. Epstein was an investor in this company AdFin?
Secretary Lutnick: No.
Mr. Emmer: When did you learn that he was an investor?
Secretary Lutnick: To the best of my knowledge, when these documents were released. Best of my recollection.
Mr. Emmer: [Your statement was] that Epstein had an MO to give massages to influential individuals and that he used it as blackmail. For the record, that was based not on firsthand knowledge. Is that right?
Secretary Lutnick: Correct. I was just speculating for a podcast. I had no personal information. I was just speculating for a podcast.
Mr. Emmer: Did you ever email, have phone calls with Mr. Epstein?
Secretary Lutnick: I do not recall ever having a phone call with Mr. Epstein, and I think I had one set of email interactions with Mr. Epstein personally that went — meaning four were written by me to him, but in one — effectively one conversation.
Ms. Ansari: Did you refuse videotaping of your testimony?
Mr. Terwilliger: The Secretary made an agreement to be here voluntarily. It was worked out that we would do a transcribed interview.
Ms. Ansari: Would you be open to having this on video?
Secretary Lutnick: I'd prefer to just answer questions about my three meaningless and inconsequential meetings as briefly as possible.
Mr. Walkinshaw: Earlier Mr. Khanna asked you about your speculation that Epstein was blackmailing people. You responded that you subsequently changed your mind about that after hearing from officials in the administration. Who did you speak to in the administration about Jeffrey Epstein blackmailing or not blackmailing people?
Secretary Lutnick: It was just public comments from administration officials. It wasn't —
Mr. Walkinshaw: I haven't seen those comments from administration officials that he didn't blackmail people.
Secretary Lutnick: That's my best recollection was I learned it from public —
Mr. Walkinshaw: You refused to answer a question about any conversation you might've had with President Trump about today's testimony. I just want to be clear, you will not answer questions about any conversations you had with President Trump about today's testimony?
Secretary Lutnick: Right. But I don't want you to think anything one way or another. I'm not even suggesting I had them. I'm just saying, I won't go there.
Mr. Spectre: Mr. Epstein reportedly had to register as a sex offender after he was convicted of that 2006 offense. Were you ever notified — by way of him being your neighbor — were you ever notified about his status?
Secretary Lutnick: No.
Mr. Spectre: Did you have children under the age of 18 at that — during that time?
Secretary Lutnick: Yes.
Ms. Ansari: So when did you find out that he was a registered sex offender?
Secretary Lutnick: Well, I certainly, along with everybody else in the country, learned enormous amounts about him in 2019 when — [...] what I tried to tell you before was that when thinking back, it would've been something that I would've, right. If I knew I would've — I wouldn't — if I knew, I would've been concerned about him being — living next door, and I wouldn't have gone to the island. So while I can't sit here and say, you know, 20 years ago or however long ago this was, but I can tell you what I remember — I'm just trying to be helpful, because I've done nothing — and we all know I have done absolutely nothing wrong, inappropriate.
Mr. Emmer: And the committee understands, through public reporting and records, that an Epstein-affiliated trust had owned that townhome that you moved into prior to you. Did Epstein have any role in the sale of that property to you?
Secretary Lutnick: No. I bought my townhouse from someone named Charles de Gunzburg who owned it. So Epstein did not own the house. […] Charles de Gunzburg owned the house, and I bought the house from Charles de Gunzburg.