Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was forced into a spectacular showdown on Capitol Hill with Democrats probing his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Lutnick, his wife, and his children had lunch with Epstein on his island in December 2012, years after the pedophile's conviction, according to documents released by the Justice Department.
Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a prostitute and procuring a child for prostitution in 2008.
The secretary claimed in February that he had 'nothing to hide' about his connection to Epstein.
But he was put on the spot about it during the explosive hearing on Wednesday.
Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen demanded Lutnick provide more information about his ties to Epstein and accused him of withholding details.
Lutnick dodged the question, saying he was focused on testifying about Trump's budget.
'I am volunteering within two weeks to answer any and all questions on this topic,' Lutnick stated on Wednesday.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testifies before a Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on April 22, 2026
An image from the Epstein files shows Howard Lutnick (in blue) with along with Jeffrey Epstein
During a February Capitol Hill hearing, Lutnick detailed that he first interacted with Epstein after buying the house next door to his in New York City in 1998.
He didn't move in until 2005 after renovations were complete. That's when he said he visited Epstein's house for the first time.
But he claimed he was so disgusted after seeing a massage table in Epstein's home that they did not maintain a relationship.
He decided Epstein wasn't worth maintaining a relationship with and cut off contact 'socially, for business or even philanthropy' in 2005.
Speaking with the host of the New York Post's Pod Force One podcast Miranda Devine last year, Lutnick stated that 'if that guy was there, I wasn't going because he's gross.'
However, Lutnick was quizzed over why he then decided to take his family to have lunch with the pedophile.
Ranking member Senator Chris Van Hollen looks on during a subcommittee hearing with the Senate Committee on Appropriations in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 22, 2026 in Washington, DC
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and his wife Allison Lutnick attend the world premiere of Amazon MGM Studios' 'Melania' at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on January 29, 2026
'I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation,' Lutnick said.
'My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies,' he said. 'I had another couple with - they were there as well, with their children.'
'And we had lunch on the island, that is true, for an hour,' he added.
'And we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife, all together. We were on family vacation,' he concluded.
An appearance of an individual in the files is not an indication of any criminal wrongdoing.