United States Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has claimed he “barely knew” Jeffrey Epstein, as he faced bipartisan calls for his resignation.
Addressing a Senate committee this week, he downplayed the extent of their relationship and interactions, despite new emails contradicting previous timelines Lutnick gave of their friendship.
Despite having previously claimed he cut all ties with Epstein after he was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution back in 2008, newly released files show their association continued.
The leading Democrat of the committee, Senator Chris Van Hollen, heavily scrutinised Lutnick during the proceedings, saying he had “totally misrepresented the extent of your relationship with him [Epstein] to the Congress, to the American people and to the survivors of his despicable criminal and predatory acts”.
California Senator Adam Schiff echoed a similar statement when he issued a statement calling for Lutnick's resignation.
“Lutnick’s lies about his business dealings with a convicted child sex offender, raise serious concerns about his judgement and ethics. Lutnick has no business being our Commerce Secretary, and he should resign immediately," he wrote.
At the time of reporting, the White House had not directly responded to the allegations.
