Rep. Thomas Massie says Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick should step down after newly released files revealed he had more contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein than he previously acknowledged.
Mr. Lutnick previously said he cut off contact with Mr. Epstein in 2005, but newly released emails show they corresponded through 2018.
“He should just resign,” Mr. Massie, Kentucky Republican, said Sunday on CNN.
The newly disclosed emails also show Mr. Lutnick planned a trip to Epstein Island in 2012, contradicting earlier statements.
The New York Times reported the files also indicate that Mr. Lutnick and Mr. Epstein invested in the same privately held company, worked together on philanthropic matters, and appeared to socialize in New York and the Caribbean.
According to the recently released files, their last interaction — through Epstein’s assistant — was in 2018. In 2008, Mr. Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18.
A Commerce Department spokesman downplayed the revelations, calling them an effort to smear the secretary.
“Secretary Lutnick had limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing,” they said.
Mr. Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, California Democrat, led the push for the Epstein Files Transparency Act that forced the DOJ to release the government files on Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
The DOJ recently released more than 3 million files related to the Epstein case, but faced some blowback for including the unredacted names of victims, while blacking out the names of some alleged perpetrators.
In response to the criticism, the DOJ plans to allow lawmakers to review the unredacted files on Monday.
The review will include only the 3 million publicly available files, not the full 6 million documents the DOJ says it has in its possession.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, meanwhile, is expected to testify later this week before the House Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Massie said he plans to press Ms. Bondi for more information on “where are the rest of the documents” when she testifies this week before the House Judiciary Committee.
He also said he is ready to publicly release the Epstein client list if the DOJ does not fully comply with the law.
“If the victims want to give them to me, I’ve expressed that I’m willing to do that,” he said.
Mr. Trump is seeking to oust Mr. Massie in the GOP primary for the midterm election and has endorsed Ed Gallrein.
On Sunday, Mr. Massie pointed out that the release of the Epstein files has already led to major fallout abroad — including the U.K. ambassador to Washington losing his job and resigning from the Labour Party and the House of Lords. Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor, the former Prince Andrew and Duke of York, was also stripped of his royal titles by his brother, King Charles III.
“Howard Lutnick clearly went to the Island if we believe what’s in these files,” Mr. Massie said. “He was in business with Jeffrey Epstein, and this was many years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted for sexual crimes.”
“So he has a lot to answer for, but really, he should make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign,” Mr. Massie said. “If this was Great Britain, he’d already be gone.”
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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