Newly Released Files Reveal Deeper Ties Between Epstein and Commerce Secretary Lutnick

Documents show investments, island visits, and emails years after claimed split

Published on Feb. 7, 2026

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Newly released files show that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was more extensive than he has publicly suggested. The documents include contract details and emails indicating social and business contact between the two men as late as 2018, years after Lutnick claimed to have ended the relationship.

Why it matters

The revelations about Lutnick's continued interactions with Epstein, even after Epstein's 2008 sex crimes conviction, raise questions about the Commerce Secretary's transparency and judgment in his associations. As a high-ranking government official, Lutnick's ties to Epstein could undermine public trust and scrutiny of the administration's ethics and decision-making.

The details

The files show that Epstein's Southern Trust Co. and a Lutnick-linked LLC were co-investors in an advertising technology company called Adfin as late as 2012. The documents also include emails indicating social and business contact between the two men, such as arranging calls and drinks in 2011, a planned family visit by Lutnick to Epstein's private island in 2012, and a Christmas Eve lunch invitation days before the Adfin deal was signed. Additionally, the records show that Epstein donated $50,000 to a dinner honoring Lutnick in 2017 and that the pair discussed a New York museum expansion as late as 2018.

  • The contract documents are dated December 28, 2012.
  • The emails indicating contact between Lutnick and Epstein are from 2011 and 2012.
  • Epstein's $50,000 donation to a dinner honoring Lutnick occurred in 2017.
  • Lutnick and Epstein discussed a New York museum expansion as late as 2018.

The players

Howard Lutnick

The current U.S. Commerce Secretary who has claimed to have limited interactions with Jeffrey Epstein, despite the newly released files showing more extensive contact between the two men.

Jeffrey Epstein

The convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019 and whose connections to powerful individuals have been the subject of intense scrutiny.

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What they’re saying

“Nice seeing you”

— Epstein's assistant (Email to Lutnick around the time of the Adfin signing)

“He was a disgusting person. My wife and I would never be in the room with him again.”

— Howard Lutnick, Commerce Secretary (New York Post interview in 2023)

What’s next

The revelations about Lutnick's continued ties to Epstein could prompt further investigations and scrutiny of the Commerce Secretary's ethics and judgment.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing challenges in fully accounting for the extensive web of connections between powerful individuals and convicted sex offenders like Epstein, even among high-ranking government officials who have publicly claimed to have limited their interactions.