Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, was invited to Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2012, according to a new batch of Epstein-related records released by the Department of Justice on Friday.
The documents were published under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and represent part of what officials describe as millions of pages of records that were not included in an initial release last month.
In an email exchange dated December 2012 and shared by the DOJ, Epstein invited Lutnick to lunch at his property, Little St. James. Lutnick replied in a December 19, 2012 email: “Hi Jeff, We are landing in St. Thomas early Saturday afternoon and planning to head over to St. Bart’s/Anguilla on Monday at some point.” He then asked: “Where are you located (what is exact location for my captain)? Does Sunday evening for dinner sound good?”
Epstein’s assistant confirmed the plans the following day. Two days later, Lutnick’s wife, Allison Lutnick, also emailed Epstein’s assistant, confirming that she and her husband would arrive by yacht with friends and their children, while double-checking the time and location.
In recent years, Lutnick has sought to distance himself from Epstein, describing him as “gross” and a “blackmailer” in an interview last year. He has also said he cut ties with Epstein decades earlier.
The newly released emails do not allege wrongdoing by Lutnick, his family, or associates.
In a statement emailed to Newsweek, a Department of Commerce spokesperson said: “This is nothing more than a failing attempt by the legacy media to distract from the administration’s accomplishments including securing Trillions of dollars in investment, delivering historic trade deals and fighting for the American worker. Secretary Lutnick had limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing.”
What to know about the document release
The Trump administration has faced criticism over the pace and scope of disclosures tied to Epstein, prompting calls for investigations and potential penalties aimed at the DOJ and its leadership.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law on November 19, required the Justice Department to release all unclassified records, communications, and investigative materials related to Epstein within 30 days. The DOJ missed that deadline and told a court earlier this month that, after being compelled, it had released 12,285 files.
