WASHINGTON — US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a prominent billionaire and close ally of President Donald Trump, planned a visit to Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean island in December 2012, according to email correspondence and other records released Friday by the Department of Justice.
The documents, part of more than 3 million pages from the federal investigation into Epstein’s sex trafficking network, reveal that Lutnick contacted Epstein to arrange a meeting while traveling in the Caribbean with his wife, children, and another family. In the emails, Lutnick asked where Epstein was staying and whether they could meet for a meal. Epstein’s assistant responded with details about Little St. James, his private island near St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, and later messages confirmed arrangements for a lunch gathering on December 23, 2012.
A follow-up email the next day from Epstein’s assistant to Lutnick read simply: “Nice seeing you.” The records indicate the lunch did take place, though no further details about the meeting are included in the released files.
The planned visit occurred several years after Lutnick has said he severed ties with Epstein. In a podcast interview last year, Lutnick stated that he and his wife decided around 2005 to stop associating with Epstein after visiting his New York mansion and seeing a massage table in one of the rooms. “We left and said we’re never going to see him again,” Lutnick recalled, describing Epstein as “disgusting.”
When reached by phone Friday after the documents were made public, Lutnick declined to comment in detail, saying he had not yet reviewed the files. “I spent zero time with him,” he told a reporter before ending the call.
The newly disclosed emails suggest continued social overlap between Lutnick and Epstein after 2005. In 2017, Epstein donated to a charity dinner honoring Lutnick. Correspondence from 2018 also shows discussions between the two men about opposing construction plans by The Frick Collection museum, which is located near their neighboring homes in New York City.
The Department of Justice’s release of the Epstein files — ordered by a federal judge in late 2025 — has included mentions of numerous high-profile figures, including former US President Bill Clinton, Elon Musk, and President Donald Trump. Trump has previously acknowledged a social and business acquaintance with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s but has denied any wrongdoing and stated he banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago resort after learning of his behavior.
Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. He died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell the following month while awaiting trial. A 2008 plea deal in Florida — widely criticized as a “sweetheart deal” — saw him plead guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution and serve just 13 months in a work-release program.
Victims and advocates have long alleged that Epstein operated an extensive sex trafficking network that involved members of the political, business, and academic elite in the US and abroad. The DOJ files, unsealed in batches over recent months, have fueled renewed calls for transparency about Epstein’s associates and any individuals who may have facilitated or benefited from his crimes.
Lutnick, who built his fortune as CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and has been a major Republican donor and Trump supporter, was confirmed as Commerce Secretary in early 2025. His name’s appearance in the Epstein documents is likely to draw scrutiny given his current cabinet role and close ties to the president.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the newly released records. Legal experts note that planning a visit or having social contact with Epstein does not itself constitute criminal wrongdoing, but the disclosures add to the public record of Epstein’s wide network of influential connections.
The Epstein case remains one of the most politically charged and closely watched scandals in recent US history, with ongoing civil lawsuits, victim compensation efforts, and demands from lawmakers across party lines for full disclosure of all related government-held records.
