Lutnick to testify on Epstein files after admitting island visit

Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify before a House committee about Epstein-related files after admitting he visited Jeffrey Epstein's private island in 2012, seven years after he said he cut ties with the convicted sex offender. The move comes as lawmakers intensify their review of how Epstein’s network operated and what top executives knew about it in the years before his arrest. The voluntary testimony is set to occur in Washington, where the committee has been demanding transparency on private associations that touch the Epstein case.

The committee chair described Lutnick’s decision to appear as a proactive step in the ongoing effort to close gaps in the public record. By opening up about the island visit, Lutnick is providing lawmakers with a clearer timeline of his relationship to Epstein and any subsequent interactions that might shed light on the scope of Epstein’s influence in elite circles.

Lutnick’s admission adds a fresh wrinkle to a broader set of investigations into Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and the lines between personal associations and corporate decisions. While the focus remains on what was known inside major financial institutions, the revelation about the island visit underscores the persistent questions about how well-known executives navigated the social networks surrounding Epstein.

In a related development, a Goldman Sachs lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, has been asked to testify to the House panel as part of the Epstein file scrutiny. Ruemmler announced she would leave Goldman Sachs at the end of June after fallout over emails with Epstein, highlighting how the case continues to draw involvement from high-profile legal and financial figures.

As lawmakers prepare for the next round of testimony and document releases, observers say the hearings could reveal new details about private ties and how they intersected with public business interests. The coming weeks are expected to bring more questions, more documents, and potentially more witnesses to the broader Epstein files.

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