MASSIE AND TOP DEM CALL FOR SECRETARY LUTNICK TO RESIGN OVER CLAIMS HE LIED ABOUT EPSTEIN TIES

Bipartisan pressure is mounting for U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to resign following the release of unredacted Department of Justice files.

The documents suggest that Lutnick maintained a business and social relationship with Jeffrey Epstein for nearly a decade after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex crimes involving a minor.

The revelations have sparked a rare alliance between conservative firebrand Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Democratic leader Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), both of whom have accused the Secretary of "lying" to the public about the timeline of his interactions.

The "Lying" Allegations: A 2012 Paper Trail

The controversy centers on a 2012 investment in a shuttered advertising technology company called Adfin. While Lutnick previously told the New York Post that he and his wife "cut ties" with Epstein in 2005, newly released contracts show both men’s signatures as co-investors in December 2012.

• Business Ties: Lutnick signed for a limited liability company called CVAFH I, while Epstein signed on behalf of his Southern Trust Company.
• Social Coordination: Emails from December 2012 reveal Lutnick and his wife planning a Christmas-season visit to Epstein’s private island, Little St. James.
• Follow-up: On December 24, 2012, Epstein’s assistant forwarded a message to Lutnick that read, "Nice seeing you," suggesting the island meeting took place as planned.

The Bipartisan Backlash

Representative Thomas Massie, who co-authored the law that forced the release of these files, stated on Sunday that Lutnick "has a lot to answer for."

Massie argued that if a similar scandal occurred in Great Britain, where Epstein-related links have already cost officials their titles, Lutnick would have been "gone already."

Representative Robert Garcia, the Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, echoed these calls on social media, stating that "Lutnick must resign or be fired."

Garcia has formally demanded that the Secretary testify before Congress to explain why his public statements directly contradict the forensic evidence found in the DOJ files.

The Administration’s Defense

The Department of Commerce has issued a sharp rebuttal, dismissing the calls for resignation as a "failed attempt by the legacy media" to distract from the administration's economic goals.

A spokesperson for the department reiterated that the Lutnicks had "very limited interactions" with Epstein over a 14-year period and characterized the Adfin deal as a minor venture capital investment where Lutnick was unaware of the other individual shareholders.

Impact on the Ground

The scandal is also reverberating at Haverford College, Lutnick’s alma mater. On February 8, 2026, students began circulating resolutions to rename the "Lutnick Library," citing that the values of the student body do not align with those who maintained ties with a convicted sex offender.