A growing number of U.S. lawmakers are calling for the Commerce Secretary to step down after new evidence shows that he maintained close ties with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Senator Adam Schiff, the Democratic senator from California, opened the flurry of criticism by saying the secretary had “lied to the American people” about his connections to Epstein. “His false statements about his business dealings with a convicted child sex offender raise serious concerns about his judgment and ethics,” Schiff said. “He has no business being our commerce secretary, and he should resign immediately.”
Other members of Congress joined the chorus of demands. Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie told CNN that the secretary “has a lot to answer for” and urged him to resign to ease the president’s administration. House oversight committee leaders, including Democrat Robert Garcia and Democrat Melanie Stansbury, accused the secretary of lying about his relationship with Epstein and called for him to testify before the committee.
The secretary’s background adds weight to the calls for his resignation. He was chief executive of a major financial institution for almost thirty years before joining the president’s cabinet last year. A former Democrat, he was also one of the largest donors to the president’s 2024 campaign and co‑chaired his transition team. The two men have known each other socially for decades.
Documents released by the Department of Justice contradict the secretary’s earlier claims that he cut ties with Epstein more than twenty years ago. Emails reveal that the two men stayed in contact over the years, arranging social meetings in New York and the Virgin Islands and even becoming joint investors in a private company. They also corresponded about neighborhood issues, including a planning application across their street in 2018.
In one 2011 email, Epstein’s assistant noted a planned drinks appointment with the secretary. Other emails from December 2012 show the secretary arranging a lunch on Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean, and a stock purchase agreement from late 2012 documents the two men signing a deal for separate entities to acquire stakes in a defunct advertising technology company.
The White House defended the secretary, describing the administration as “the best and most transformative cabinet in modern history” and emphasizing that the department remains focused on delivering for the American people. “The entire Trump administration, including secretary Lutnick and the Department of Commerce, remains focused on delivering for the American people,” a White House spokesperson said.
With the oversight committee continuing its investigation into the government’s handling of the Epstein case, several members have requested that the secretary testify before Congress. The committee has an ongoing list of individuals it would like to subpoena, and it has expressed a strong interest in speaking with the commerce secretary. The secretary’s future remains uncertain as lawmakers weigh the implications of the new evidence and the calls for his resignation.
