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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testifying today on Capitol Hill about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It's all part of the House Oversight Committee's ongoing investigation into Epstein. Lutnick's name appears several times in the Justice Department's release of the Epstein files. Lutnick has denied any wrongdoing and has not been accused of any impropriety tied to Epstein. During a congressional hearing back in February, Lutnick admitted to having lunch with his family on Epstein's Island in 2012. Let's bring in NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Julie Tsirkin. Julie, Lutnick's testimony was not videotaped unlike a few previous
interviews conducted by this committee. Why not and what happened today? Yeah, well Chairman Comer said that the simple explanation for that, Kate, is because Howard Lutnick appeared voluntarily. They did not have to subpoena him. He was not deposed. So that's why Chairman Comer said as recently as the last half hour that Lutnick was not required to sit in front of a video camera. Now, that is something Democrats on the committee took issue with. They came out and talked to a number of us who were outside of the room. By the way, this interview is still going and they basically told us after their hour-long interview and question portion of Lutnick that this should have happened under video. Ro Khanna, the congressman
there on the committee, going as far as to suggest that Howard Lutnick would be fired by the president if he saw the deposition and the testimony that they did in that room. Take a listen to what we heard from the congressman. So someone obviously got to him from the administration. In fact, he said he talked to people in the administration and that's why he's changed his tune. And the question is not just why he's lying. The question is why he's covering up. I feel like that Lutnick's been very transparent. He came in voluntarily. I said before this thing started, the only thing that I had seen that Lutnick did wrong was wasn't 100% truthful on the brief visit to the island with his family.
He corrected that. That is what to on Capitol Hill, Republicans and Democrats having different versions of the same reality. Now, it is important though that Chairman Comer did say that Lutnick told them uh that he had property next door to Jeffrey Epstein for a number of years, but only interacted with him three times. Kate? And Julie, there have been a number of others who have testified in this House investigation into Epstein, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, the former president, the former Secretary of State. Remind us what we've learned from all these interviews. A long list of interviewees who sat before the House Oversight
Committee, who sat before their staff, their lawyers. Take a look at your screen. Bill Barr on that list, who was the former Attorney General uh under the president's first administration during the exact time period in which Jeffrey Epstein was found in his jail cell. Ghislaine Maxwell as well, that was a deposition that took place in her jail cell in Texas. So, a long list of people that have sat before this committee, and it doesn't end with Howard Lutnick today. We do know that the committee plans to hear from Pam Bondi, the former Attorney General, at the end of May again for a transcribed interview. Kate.
All right, Julie. Sirkin, thank you. We thank you for watching, and remember, stay updated on breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or watch live on our YouTube channel.
