Massie calls for Commerce Secretary Lutnick to resign

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie called on Howard Lutnick to resign following revelations that the Commerce secretary had more extensive business and personal dealings with deceased sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein than previously disclosed.

Massie’s words followed New York Times Lutnick interacted “regularly” with Epstein, the Justice Department reported Sunday, according to files released on the notorious sex offender. Massie, R-Ky., was the lead Republican on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandated the release of the Epstein files.

“He should resign,” Massie said on CNN’s “Domestic Politics Sunday” program.

“If we believe what’s in these files, it’s clear that Howard Lutnick went to the island; he was doing business with Jeffrey Epstein, and this was years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted,” Massie said. “He has a lot to answer for, but frankly he should make life easier for the president and resign.”

Massie stated that some British officials involved in the Epstein files were dismissed. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on Sunday over her role in the appointment of ousted US ambassador Peter Mandelson. Mandelson’s name was also in the Epstein files.

Lutnick’s dealings with Epstein came under increased scrutiny after dozens of public figures were named in dossiers released by the Justice Department after the signing of a law requiring their disclosure. The former chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald said on the podcast: “Pod Force One“Last year, he vowed not to interact with Epstein after the first encounter in 2005.

But The Times’ analysis of the Epstein files found that Lutnick and Epstein had been in contact for years after their first meeting in 2005. It was previously reported that Epstein invited Lutnick to his private island in the Caribbean, and that Lutnick communicated with Epstein about construction work across the street from their home. The files revealed that the duo also drank in 2011.

The Times’ report also includes new details, such as how Epstein’s lawyer obtained Lutnick’s nanny’s resume and that Epstein donated $50,000 to an event in Lutnick’s honor.

According to the Times report, Epstein and Lutnick also invested in AdFin Solutions, a company that is no longer operating.

A Commerce Department spokesman told the Times that Lutnick had “very limited interaction” with Epstein and called the report “a failed attempt by legacy media to distract from the administration’s accomplishments.”

CNBC has reached out to the Commerce Department and the White House for response to Massie’s comments.