US commerce secretary to testify before Congress about Epstein ties

[Unredacted]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7jm7k7pxzo

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify before a congressional panel investigating the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Lutnick "has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily" for a transcribed interview as part of the House Oversight Committee investigation, chairman James Comer announced on Tuesday.

Lutnick has acknowledged visiting Epstein's private island in 2012, years after the financier was convicted of sex crimes. The commerce secretary has not been accused of any wrongdoing by Epstein's victims.

The announcement comes days after former US President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, both testified in the inquiry.

The commerce secretary, who is considered the architect of Trump's global tariffs policy, had previously told Congress he cut ties with Epstein in 2005 after the paedophile - a neighbour of Lutnick in New York - used sexual innuendo to explain why he owned a massage table in a room of his home.

But earlier this month, he confirmed visiting Epstein's island while on a family vacation in the Caribbean. Details about the visit were included in millions of documents released by the US justice department related to their investigations into Epstein.