A member of President Donald Trump's cabinet could be brought in to testify before Congress about his relationship with deceased convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY) was speaking with reporters in Chappaqua, New York, just before the deposition of former Secretary of State and former First lady Hillary Clinton, when a reporter asked if Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick would be asked to testify before the House Oversight Committee.
"That's very possible and I think it's a good possibility that his name will arise in some questioning today," Comer said.
"It's on my list," Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) added.
Lutnick has faced significant controversy and calls for resignation after he was caught in apparent lies about his connections to Epstein, with reports indicating he misrepresented his ties to the late financier, including his financial and business relationship with Epstein and a visit to Epstein's island years after claiming to have severed ties.
The Epstein files released by the Department of Justice exposed Lutnick's previously undisclosed relationship with Epstein, leading to bipartisan criticism and demands that he step down from his position. Trump has reportedly been shielding Lutnick from resignation pressure, with legal experts suggesting the president fears that Lutnick's departure could implicate Trump himself in connection with Epstein-related matters.
Lutnick, a finance industry billionaire who has been the public face of Trump's controversial tariff policies, has previously claimed that he and his wife visited Epstein's residence in 2005, and were so disgusted by his obsession with massages that they left and never interacted with him in person again.
"I was never in the room with him socially, for business, or even philanthropy. If that guy was there, I wasn’t going, because he’s gross," Lutnick has said.