White House supports Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick amid Epstein ties
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt sidestepped a question about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein at a news conference Tuesday, then redirected her response to list the administration’s latest achievements and end the press conference.
“Secretary Lutnick remains a very important member of President Trump’s team, and the president fully supports the secretary,” Leavitt said when asked whether President Donald Trump and the White House still support the Commerce chief after his testimony before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday. he said.
Leavitt was questioned repeatedly about Epstein during the press conference; That includes Lutnick telling lawmakers Tuesday that he visited Epstein’s infamous island during a family vacation in 2012 but otherwise had no contact with the convicted sex offender.
“My wife, my four children and my nannies were with me,” he said Tuesday. “There was another couple, they were there with their kids and we had lunch on the island for an hour – that’s right.”
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration continues to support Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick when asked about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
He also added: “I had no relationship with him. I had almost nothing to do with that person, okay?”
Lutnick previously announced that he cut ties with Epstein in 2005; The latest documents in the Ministry of Justice’s investigation into Epstein have been published, showing that the two communicated years later. Democrats and other critics increasingly called for Lutnick’s removal as the document was released, sparking questions about whether the administration continues to support the Commerce chief.
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Leavitt ignored media reports that the administration continued to back Lutnick before embarking on a string of wins under Trump’s watch that the media did not ask about during the press conference — including the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassing 50,000 points for the first time in early February.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the Trump administration continues to support Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick when asked about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo/Reuters)
“I want to point out that there are a lot of achievements in the news this week that people in this room are not asking about because you keep asking questions about the same issue,” Leavitt said. “So let me rephrase that for you. On Friday, the Dow shattered 50,000 for the first time. This week, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons came out against sex mutilation surgeries for children. They are the first major medical group to do so.”
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The Justice Department released multiple Epstein documents on December 19, 2026, after President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025. (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
“Today, a federal appeals court — no one asked for this — upheld the Trump administration’s policy of detaining illegal aliens, upheld strong measures that have brought illegal crossings to historic lows, and sent a very clear message that under President Trump, if you enter the country illegally, you will be detained and the murder rate will be eliminated,” he continued. “Once again, not a single question on this issue has fallen to a 125-year low as crime has increased thanks to President Trump’s crackdown.”
Leavitt added that national average rental prices fell to a four-year low and mortgage affordability rose to a four-year high as the administration increased the affordability of homes to ease housing and cost shortages.
“There’s a reason Americans’ trust in mainstream media outlets is at an all-time low; they’re Fake News,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital later Tuesday when asked about the shift. “The Trump Administration will never hesitate to share the facts with the American people.”
Leavitt concluded the press conference after listing the achievements of the administration, drawing attention to Trump’s busy schedule.
The briefing started about 40 minutes late, and Leavitt attributed the delay to a meeting with Trump to review updates on the Nancy Guthrie missing person case. The briefing lasted just over 20 minutes in total.
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“We’re going to get back to work. The president is very busy today, and you’ll see him promoting his administration’s energy policy at the event in the East Room tomorrow,” he said.
