Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will testify voluntarily as a House committee also seeks testimony from Bill Gates and six others in its Epstein investigation.
WASHINGTON: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify before a congressional committee investigating the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer announced the voluntary agreement, though a specific date for the testimony was not provided.
Lutnick, a billionaire former financier, has faced scrutiny over his past associations with Epstein. Publicly released documents have contradicted some of his previous statements about when he cut ties.
He previously claimed on a podcast that a 2005 house tour from his then-neighbour Epstein left him so disturbed he vowed never to be in a room with him again.
However, records indicate Lutnick planned a 2012 lunch meeting with Epstein on Little Saint James, an island privately owned by Epstein.
Lutnick confirmed last month that a meeting on the Caribbean island did occur but stated his family was present and he witnessed nothing improper.
The Republican-led committee has also sent letters seeking testimony from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and six other individuals.
Gates has previously acknowledged a “huge mistake” in associating with Epstein but said he “saw nothing illicit” during their interactions.
The committee’s investigation into Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell has gained new momentum from a major release of government files.
These documents have revealed close friendships and financial dealings between Epstein and numerous high-profile figures.
Epstein pleaded guilty to sex crimes in 2008 and was later charged with trafficking minor girls in 2019.
He died in a New York jail cell that same year while awaiting trial, with his death officially ruled a suicide.
The Oversight Committee has faced criticism from some who allege it is targeting political opponents of former President Donald Trump.
Critics had noted the committee previously compelled testimony from Bill and Hillary Clinton but had not yet called Lutnick, who appears multiple times in the Epstein files.
The Sun Malaysia
