Howard Lutnick faces congressional showdown after Epstein files revealed island visit

Epstein filesHoward Lutnick faces congressional showdown after Epstein files revealed island visitThe Commerce Department secretary said he stopped talking to Jeffrey Epstein in 2005. But a House inquiry wants to know why investigatory files show otherwise. body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__container, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__media-holder, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) #content { z-index: auto; } Add NBC News to GoogleLutnick admits to visiting Epstein's island but assures there was nothing 'untoward'01:57Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 5, 2026, 6:19 PM EDTBy Erik OrtizOver the years, the households of New York financier Jeffrey Epstein and billionaire businessman Howard Lutnick, now the U.S. Commerce Department secretary, overlapped in seemingly conventional ways, like the need for a good painter. Another time, Epstein received the resume for Lutnick’s nanny.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.They were, after all, next-door neighbors for more than a decade in an elite Upper East Side enclave of Manhattan.But their lives also intersected in far more influential or personal ways, such as when in 2012 Lutnick, his wife and their four young children sailed on a yacht to have lunch with Epstein on his private Caribbean island. Or seven months later, when an aide to then-Prince Andrew wanted Epstein’s opinion about Lutnick, then the CEO of the Wall Street brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald.“What is your view on Howard Lutnick? Just met him with PA,” wrote the aide, referring to Andrew, who was angling to do business with Cantor Fitzgerald.“My neighbor smart,” Epstein replied.The relationship between Lutnick and Epstein spans years both before and after Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida. Their email communications, which were sporadic, are included in the millions of pages of Epstein investig...