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Washington — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to reply questions from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee arsenic portion of its probe into the government's handling of the lawsuit against convicted enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein, the committee confirmed Tuesday.
"Secretary Lutnick has proactively agreed to look voluntarily earlier the House Committee connected Oversight and Government Reform," Rep. James Comer, who chairs the Oversight Committee said successful a statement. "I commend his demonstrated committedness to transparency and admit his willingness to prosecute with the Committee. I look guardant to his testimony."
The committee has not yet announced a day for the interview.
Lutnick is among a slew of almighty people who were revealed to person been successful Epstein's orbit aft the Justice Department released much than 3 cardinal pages of records stemming from its probe into Epstein successful precocious January.
Lutnick had said helium chopped disconnected interaction with Epstein successful 2005, 3 years earlier the disgraced financier agreed to plead blameworthy to authorities prostitution charges successful Florida. But emails showed that successful 2012, Lutnick, his wife, Allison, and their children planned a sojourn to Little St. James, the backstage land that Epstein owned.
During testimony earlier Congress past month, Lutnick was pressed astir his narration to Epstein and acknowledged visiting the island. Still, helium said helium "barely had thing to bash with that person."
"We had luncheon connected the island, that is true, for an hour. Then we near with each of my children, with my nannies and my woman each together," Lutnick said. "We were connected household vacation. We were not apart. To suggest determination was thing untoward astir that successful 2012, I don't callback wherefore we did it. But we did."
Epstein and Lutnick were besides neighbors successful New York City, and documents released by the Justice Department showed the 2 were successful concern together as precocious arsenic 2014 implicit their shared dealings successful advertizing institution called Adfin, which has since shuttered.
Epstein and Lutnick, on with 3 different men, were besides seen successful an undated photograph together that appears to person been taken connected Epstein's island.
The duo exchanged emails about the steadfast successful 2018 and besides discussed a planned depository enlargement program that year, according to the communications released by the government.
Epstein was arrested and charged with national sex-trafficking charges successful July 2019. He died by termination astatine a Manhattan correctional installation portion awaiting trial.
Patrick Maguire contributed to this report.
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