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US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick tried to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday, saying he had “barely anything to do” with the convicted sex offender amid calls for his resignation amid new revelations about the two’s ties.
The US Justice Department released millions of new files related to Epstein in January, including emails showing Lutnick apparently visited Epstein’s private island for lunch years after he claimed to have cut ties. Lutnick is facing calls from both Democrats and some Republicans to resign.
Lutnick fired back at the Senate hearing, saying the two men exchanged only about 10 emails over 14 years and that the lunch with Epstein only came about because Lutnick was on a boat near his island, adding that his family was present.
“I had no relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with the person,” he told a Senate committee after being questioned by Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen.
The hearing comes a day after Epstein aide Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions at a deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, according to lawmakers, drawing criticism from both Republican and Democratic members of the committee.
Immigration chiefs to testify in Congress
Meanwhile, the heads of the agencies that implement US President Donald Trump’s mass deportation program will testify in Congress today and face questions about how they handle immigration enforcement within American cities.
Trump’s immigration campaign has been under scrutiny in recent weeks, following the shooting of two protesters by Homeland Security officers in Minneapolis. The agencies have also faced criticism for a wave of policies that critics say trample on the rights of both immigrants facing arrest and Americans protesting the enforcement measures.
Todd Lyons, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Rodney Scott, who heads US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Joseph Edlow, who is director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), will speak before the House Homeland Security Committee.
The officials will speak at a time when public support for how their agencies are implementing Trump’s immigration vision is waning, but while they are flush with money from a spending bill passed last year that helped expand immigration enforcement efforts across the country.
The administration says that activists and protesters who oppose its operations are fueling attacks on its own officers, not the other way around, and that its immigration enforcement operations make the country safer by finding and removing people who have committed crimes or pose a threat to the country.
Under Lyons’ leadership, ICE saw a major congressionally-funded hiring surge last summer, with immigration officials engaged in stepped-up law enforcement operations in cities across the US aimed at increasing arrests and deportations. His appearance in Congress comes as lawmakers are embroiled in a battle over whether DHS should be funded without restraints on the conduct of its officials.
Lyons is likely to face scrutiny over a memo he signed last year telling ICE officials they did not need a warrant to enter a home to arrest a deportee — a memo that went against longstanding ICE practice and Fourth Amendment protections against illegal searches.
Retired FBI agent Daniel Brunner says federal officials’ claims are in direct contrast to eyewitness video footage of the fatal shooting of an immigration law enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
Under the leadership of Gregory Bovin, the group of US Border Patrol agents bounced around the country with operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and New Orleans, where they were often accused of indiscriminately questioning and arresting people they suspected of being in the country illegally. Bovino says his targets are legitimate and have been identified by intelligence, and if his officers use force to make an arrest, it’s because it’s justified.
During Scott’s tenure, his agency took a significant role in arresting and removing illegal immigrants from the country. The increased activity has become a source of controversy and marks a break from the agency’s traditional job of protecting borders and controlling who and what enters the country.
A Border Patrol agent and a Customs and Border Protection officer opened fire during the shooting Alex Prettyone of two protesters killed in Minneapolis in January. Another protester, Renee Goodhe was killed by an ICE officer.
After the shooting in Pretti, Bovino was given command and Trump sent his border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take control.
USCIS has also faced criticism for steps it has taken, including subjecting refugees already admitted to the US to another round of vetting and pausing decisions on all asylum cases.
