Lutnick’s Epstein Island Admission Sparks Resignation Calls (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Did you, in fact, make the visit to Jeffrey Epstein's private island? I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies, and we had lunch on the island.

[00:00:19] Speaker 2: That was President Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, admitting under oath that he visited Jeffrey Epstein's private island with his family in 2012. This is a sharp reversal for Lutnick. He was Epstein's neighbor in New York, and in a recent interview, Lutnick said that Epstein gave him a tour of his home in 2005 and that he never met with him again.

[00:00:40] Speaker 1: My wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again. So I was never in the room with him socially, for business, or even philanthropy. If that guy was there, I wasn't going, because he's gross.

[00:01:00] Speaker 2: Newly released Epstein files show that Lutnick sought to meet or call Epstein several times after 2005, including after Epstein's 2008 conviction. Republican Congressman Thomas Massey, who led the push for the release of the files, is now calling for Lutnick to resign.

[00:01:17] Speaker 1: Really, he should make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign.

[00:01:21] Speaker 2: Meanwhile, the White House says that the president is standing firmly by Lutnick. Secretary Lutnick remains a very important member of President Trump's team, and the president fully supports the secretary.