Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was criticized for downplaying concerns about his family's corruption as "minor stuff."
President Donald Trump's commerce secretary appeared Wednesday morning on CNBC's "Squawk Box," where host Joe Kernan pressed him to explain possible conflict-of-interest concerns involving his sons, Brandon and Kyle Lutnick, who took over top leadership roles at Cantor Fitzgerald after their father joined the cabinet.
"The perception is you're sitting at Commerce, and you're able to control what Cantor is getting in terms of fees with your sons running that company," Kernan said. "It looks like a conflict of interest. How do you respond to that?"
Lutnick insisted there was no conflict and there was no reason for concern, despite questions from Democratic lawmakers about how the firm he led for 30 years and handed off to his sons, who have since benefited from government contracts.
"I had no idea that Cantor was involved at all; it never came up to me," Lutnick said.
"I didn't put my companies in a trust," he added. "My kids bought my companies, so I'm no longer involved in my own companies at all. My kids bought it from me; they own it, and I had nothing to do with that decision, and this is minor stuff anyway."
Critics pounced on his claims and served reminders of Lutnick's ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
"The second term Trump presidency ranks among the biggest heists in the history of the world," argued conservative writer David Frum.
"Committing Minor Corruption is now on my bucket list," snorted popular X account PoliticsOhMyGawd.
"That's a limp answer," observed writer Bruce Wilson.
"Many such corruptions," joked writer Kirk Rudell.
"Lutnick is as crooked as a $3 bill," quipped newsman Bruno J. Navarro.
"Minor stuff," insinuated widely followed X user Jo from Jerz. "He knows all about 'minor' stuff doesn’t he?"
"Said the guy who brought his family to Epstein Island and lied about it," recalled X user Robert Boone.
"So his answer to clear conflict of interest questions is not really, not strongly that there is no conflict," noted retired journalist Andrew Meacham. "No, the only strong, passionate statement he made was, 'I don’t care.'"