Democrats on the House Oversight Committee accused Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of dodging questions Wednesday about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and what the Trump administration told him to say during a closed-door interview with lawmakers.

Bipartisan calls for Lutnick’s resignation are mounting after documents released by the Justice Department in January under the Epstein Files Transparency Act contradicted the Cabinet official’s account of his association with the sex offender.

Lutnick, a billionaire and former Wall Street investment banker, said in a podcast interview last year that he cut ties with the disgraced financier in 2005.

But after the DOJ’s document dump, Lutnick acknowledged he visited Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands with his wife, children and nannies in 2012.

“Honestly, I expected him to say, ‘Well, you know, I regret what I said on the podcast. I should have had been transparent about this incident with the family. Nothing happened that was terrible, but you know what? I should have had better judgment. And here are the things I know about Epstein. He was a disgusting person. Let me try to help in the investigation,’” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told reporters during a break in Wednesday’s interview. “He did none of that.”

Democrats on the committee said Lutnick acknowledged speaking with other members of the Trump administration about his testimony before Wednesday, but declined to tell them who.

“He could not recall who he spoke to in the administration,” said Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va.

“It’s also important to note, he was asked by a number of us if he spoke to President Trump about today’s testimony, and he refused to answer that question.”

Last month, during Lutnick’s testimony in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Democrats grilled him about Epstein and what he knew about Epstein’s purported interest in a Lutnick family nanny.

Lutnick said he knew nothing about that, adding that the visit to the island was an hourlong lunch with his family while they were on vacation.

Democratic lawmakers who attended the interview repeatedly accused him of being dishonest in his testimony, but stopped short of saying he lied to Congress, which is a crime.

Unlike some of the others who have testified before the Republican-led panel as part of its sprawling Epstein probe, Lutnick’s testimony was not a deposition but rather a transcribed interview. It was not recorded on video, and he was not under oath. (It’s still illegal to lie to Congress, regardless of whether the testimony is sworn.)

“The American people deserve to see the video of what’s taking place in there,” Walkinshaw said. “They deserve to see the sweat on the secretary’s brow as he struggles to answer basic questions about his lies to the American people.”

The committee that scheduled the midweek hearing did not offer a virtual option for lawmakers, most of whom are back in their districts with Congress out of session. A transcript of the interview is expected to be released later.

“It’s very disappointing that they planned this during this time because as always, they’re trying to make it more and more difficult for people to come,” Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., said in a video posted to X on her way to the interview. “But that isn’t turning some of us away.”

Lutnick did not answer questions from reporters as he left the interview Wednesday afternoon. He has denied wrongdoing, and just as with other prominent individuals, his mere appearance in the Epstein files does not imply guilt.

Donald Trump’s commerce secretary is one of several high-profile figures to testify about Epstein before the committee, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire Les Wexner.

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to come before the panel May 29, also for a transcribed interview rather than a deposition. Billionaire Bill Gates is set to appear June 10.

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