TL/DR –
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested that the late financier Jeffrey Epstein used blackmail, contradicting denials from the Justice Department and FBI that Epstein had compromising material. Lutnick, who was once Epstein’s neighbor, labeled Epstein as a “blackmailer” and said he believed Epstein used incriminating videos to secure a lenient legal deal in 2008. Lutnick’s comments have raised calls for further disclosures about Epstein’s activities and connections.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s Claims on Epstein’s Blackmail Against DOJ and FBI Denials
For months, President Donald Trump has discouraged his supporters from dwelling on the Jeffrey Epstein controversy as a Democratic hoax, despite calls from Congress and his own MAGA base for more disclosure.
Trump’s Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, recently expressed his belief in a podcast that Epstein was a “blackmailer”.
Epstein, The ‘Greatest Blackmailer’
According to Lutnick’s claims in a recent podcast interview with Miranda Devine of the New York Post, Epstein was the “greatest blackmailer ever” and had used compromising videos of high-profile men to negotiate a 2008 deal in Florida amid a child prostitution investigation.
The statute of limitations for sexual trafficking is five years, and so all of the victims of Mr. Epstein’s traffic crimes prior to 2003 are now time-barred from seeking justice. The FBI has not commented publicly on the matter.
Trump and Epstein’s Connection
Trump and Epstein were friends through the 1990s and had a falling out in 2003 over a Palm Beach estate, according to various accounts. Trump has claimed that he broke ties with Epstein because he was stealing staff from his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Trump’s alleged birthday message to Epstein, which he denies authoring, was written inside the outline of a naked woman and was part of a birthday book given to Epstein on his 50th birthday.
The president and his supporters have sought to quell backlash over the lack of an Epstein client list revealed in the Justice Department and FBI’s July statement.
Written by Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, White House Correspondent for USA TODAY.Follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
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