US’ Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick (R) gestures on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026.
Fabrice Coffrini | AFP | Getty Images
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie called on Howard Lutnick to resign amid revelations that the Commerce secretary had more extensive business and personal dealings with deceased sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein than previously disclosed.
Massie’s remarks come after The New York Times reported Sunday that Lutnick interacted “regularly” with Epstein, according to files released by the Department of Justice relating to the notorious sex offender. Massie, R-Ky., was the lead Republican on the Epstein Files Transparency Act that compelled the release of the Epstein files.
“He should just resign,” Massie said on CNN’s “Inside Politics Sunday.”
“Howard Lutnick clearly went to the island if we believe what’s in these files; he was in business with Jeffrey Epstein, and this was many years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted,” Massie said. “He’s got a lot to answer for, but really, he should make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign.”
Massie noted that several British officials have been toppled over appearances in the Epstein files. Morgan McSweeney, the chief of staff to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, resigned on Sunday over his role in appointing ousted U.S. ambassador Peter Mandelson. Mandelson was also named in the Epstein files.
Lutnick’s dealings with Epstein have come under increased scrutiny as dozens of public figures have been named in the files, which the DOJ has been releasing after a law was signed compelling their disclosure. The former chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald said on the podcast “Pod Force One” last year that he swore off interactions with Epstein after an initial encounter in 2005.
The Times’ analysis of the Epstein files, however, found that Lutnick and Epstein were in touch for years after the first meeting in 2005. It was previously reported that Epstein had invited Lutnick to his private island in the Caribbean, and that Lutnick had been communicating with Epstein about construction happening across the street from their homes. The two also had drinks in 2011, the files revealed.
The Times report also includes new details, including that Epstein’s lawyer obtained the resume of Lutnick’s nanny and that Epstein donated $50,000 to an event honoring Lutnick.
Epstein and Lutnick also invested in the now-defunct company AdFin Solutions, according to the Times report.
A Commerce Department spokesperson told the Times that Lutnick had “very limited interactions” with Epstein, and called the report a “failing attempt by the legacy media to distract from the administration’s accomplishments.”
CNBC has reached out to the Commerce Department and the White House for a response to Massie’s comments.
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