See below for video and a transcript of some of Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11)’s comments following Trump’s Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, being “grilled on Epstein ties” by the House Oversight Committee (of which Rep. Walkinshaw is a member). Also, see below the Walkinshaw video for what Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10) – also a House Oversight Committee member – had to say.
Today, Chairman Comer said that he hadn’t seen any evidence of wrongdoing by Secretary Lutnick. And that’s actually the problem with the Trump administration, this Republican majority in Congress, because lying to the American people is wrongdoing. And Howard Lutnick lied to the American people. I hoped today that we would’ve heard some remorse, some contrition from Secretary Lutnick for flat-out lying to the American people. Instead what we’ve heard thus far is hours of testimony where Lutnick was attempting to redefine the meaning of the word ‘I’. He claims that when he said, ‘I would never be in a room again with Jeffrey Epstein,’ he meant only him and Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein was so gross to him, so disgusting that he wasn’t willing to be in a room with him, but he was perfectly OK with his wife and family being in a room with Epstein. He’s lying. And today’s transcribed interview is part of the ongoing coverup…the American people deserve to see the video of what’s taking place in there. 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. So, we’re going to continue to listen and ask tough questions. But unfortunately, it appears that Secretary Lutnick is not going to take any responsibility for lying to the American people today
Rep. Suhas Subramanyman (D-VA10): “I was just deposing Commerce Secretary Lutnick about his ties to Epstein. Instead of admitting he lied, he doubled down on the dishonesty. He once again said he was never in a room with Epstein after 2005, yet he admits he visited his Island AND visited his NY home after that. He doesn’t remember why he visited the Island. He can’t explain why he would take his wife and children to the Island if Epstein was so gross. He wouldn’t answer whether he talked to Trump about Epstein. Now I see why Republicans didn’t want this videotaped. Lutnick needs to resign.”
