Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's 2012 Visit to Epstein's Island Revealed in DOJ Documents

Recently released documents from the Department of Justice indicate that Howard Lutnick, the current U.S. Secretary of Commerce, visited Jeffrey Epstein's private island in December 2012. Email exchanges from that period show Lutnick coordinating with Epstein's assistant to arrange a meeting during his family's Caribbean trip. On December 19, 2012, Lutnick emailed Epstein, stating his family's plans to be in St. Thomas and inquiring about meeting for dinner. A subsequent response from Epstein's assistant invited the Lutnicks to Little St. James for lunch on either Saturday or Sunday. Following the visit, an email from Epstein to his assistant, forwarded to Lutnick, read: "nice seeing you."

These interactions contrast with Lutnick's previous statements. In a 2025 interview, he claimed to have severed ties with Epstein in 2005, describing him as "gross." When contacted about the 2012 visit, Lutnick stated, "I spent zero time with him," before ending the call.

Additional documents suggest that in November 2015, Lutnick invited Epstein to a fundraising event for Hillary Clinton. An email from Epstein's assistant forwarded an invitation from Lutnick to Epstein for a "very intimate fundraising event" scheduled for November 11, 2015. It remains unclear whether Epstein attended the event.

These revelations are part of a broader release of over 3 million pages of documents by the Department of Justice, shedding light on Epstein's associations with various high-profile individuals.