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Emails reveal planned 2012 trip to Epstein's private island
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his family arranged to visit Jeffrey Epstein's Caribbean estate in 2012, newly released Department of Justice documents show. The correspondence contradicts Lutnick's 2025 statement that he had severed all contact with the convicted sex offender two decades earlier.
Itinerary details emerge
In December 2012 emails, Lutnick's wife Allison wrote to Epstein's assistant: "We are looking forward to visiting you. We will be coming from Caneel Bay in the morning. We are a crowd... 2 families each with 4 kids ranging in age from 7-16! 6 boys and 2 girls. I hope that's okay. We would love to join you for lunch."
Days earlier, Lutnick emailed Epstein directly: "Hi Jeff, We are landing in St. Thomas early Saturday afternoon and planning to head over to St. Bart's/Anguilla on Monday at some point... Does Sunday evening for dinner sound good?" He also requested docking instructions for his boat captain.
Post-visit message suggests encounter occurred
On 24 December 2012, a redacted sender emailed Lutnick a message from Epstein: "Nice seeing you." The note implies at least one visit took place, though the emails do not indicate any misconduct.
Lutnick's 2005 disavowal
In an October 2025 interview with the New York Post, Lutnick claimed he had cut ties with Epstein in 2005 after a tour of Epstein's Manhattan townhouse. Lutnick described Epstein showing him a massage room and making an "oddly close" remark about "the right kind of massage." Lutnick told the Post he and his wife decided "in the six to eight steps" between their homes "that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again."
Commerce Department responds
A spokesperson told the BBC that Secretary Lutnick "had limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing."
DOJ releases millions of Epstein files
The Justice Department published 3 million pages of documents, 180,000 images, and 2,000 videos on Friday under a 2025 court order. Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting sex from a minor and died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
