U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick sits to testify before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing to examine a review of broadband deployment funding at the Department of Commerce, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 10, 2026.
Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has voluntarily agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee about his ties to infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky said Tuesday.
“I commend his demonstrated commitment to transparency and appreciate his willingness to engage with the Committee,” Comer, the chairman of the oversight panel, said in an X post that confirmed an earlier Axios report. “I look forward to his testimony.”
Lutnick has not been accused of wrongdoing but has nevertheless faced mounting bipartisan pressure to explain connections that have recently emerged between him and Epstein, his former next-door neighbor.
In Senate testimony last month when he appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Lutnick admitted visiting Epstein’s notorious private island with his family and nannies in 2012 — years after he previously claimed he had cut off contact with the late money manager.
On Friday, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., called the Cabinet secretary to take questions from the Oversight Committee in response to a photo that appeared to show Lutnick standing next to Epstein.
That photo, which surfaced as part of the Department of Justice’s release of millions of Epstein-related files, was reportedly removed from the DOJ website before being reposted.
Mace, a member of the oversight panel, said in an X post Tuesday afternoon that she will subpoena Lutnick on Wednesday to appear before the committee.
“He has questions to answer about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,” Mace said in the post, which included the photo of the two men and the text of an email appearing to show Lutnick’s visit to Epstein’s island being scheduled.
Mace followed up on X, thanking Lutnick for agreeing to testify.
“I look forward to appearing before the committee. I have done nothing wrong, and I want to set the record straight,” Lutnick told Axios.
The White House told CNBC in a statement that Lutnick “continues to be a critical asset” for President Donald Trump, “having played a key role in securing major trade and investment deals.”
“The entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick, remain focused on delivering more wins for the American people,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in the statement.
It was not immediately clear when Lutnick would appear before the committee. Axios reported that the interview would take place behind closed doors in the coming weeks.
Interviews conducted in private can later be shared publicly. Videos of congressional interviews with former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and retail magnate Leslie Wexner were later released in full.
The Commerce Department, and the Oversight Committee’s Democratic minority, did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment on Lutnick’s forthcoming testimony.
