Whistleblower exposes undisclosed Epstein ties in Commerce Secretary’s past
House Oversight Committee Democrats accuse US Commerce Secretary of lying about his knowledge of a 2018 business venture with the disgraced financier, while the White House dismisses the findings as partisan distractions.
British whistleblower Simon Andriesz has presented evidence to the US House Oversight Committee indicating that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick failed to disclose a business relationship with financier Jeffrey Epstein. Andriesz, a former managing director at Cantor Fitzgerald, identified email correspondence from 2018 in which Lutnick and Epstein discussed Adfin, a digital advertising company in which both had invested. The documents contradict Lutnick’s testimony before the committee in May, where he stated he only learned of Epstein’s involvement this year.
The revelation has sparked a political dispute within the US Congress. All 21 Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee signed a letter demanding Lutnick’s resignation, accusing him of lying about the extent of his knowledge regarding the financier. Lutnick maintained that he unequivocally condemned Epstein’s conduct and claimed he had only met the financier once, two decades prior, when they were neighbours in Manhattan.
Andriesz’s discovery was facilitated by a specific search strategy within the millions of released Epstein files. Knowing that Cantor Fitzgerald executives frequently used initials, Andriesz searched for "HWL" rather than the full name. This led to the identification of emails where Epstein asked about the prospects of Adfin, to which Lutnick replied that the company was finally producing revenue and needed to become economically self-sufficient within the next 12 months.
Beyond the Adfin connection, the files revealed a 2013 proposal by Lutnick’s firm to loan £1m to Prince Andrew to exploit his business contacts. The deal, which was discussed for four months but did not proceed, would have required the prince to introduce wealthy clients exclusively to Cantor Fitzgerald. Epstein’s business aide, David Stern, was warned against the arrangement due to its exclusivity terms. Andriesz noted that the proposal was described internally as an attempt to "buy a prince".
The US Commerce Department and the White House have dismissed the allegations as partisan distractions with no evidence of wrongdoing. A White House statement characterised the reporting as a desperate attempt to slander Lutnick, who was appointed in 2025 and sold his shares in Cantor Fitzgerald upon taking office. Meanwhile, Andriesz, who previously faced legal disputes with his former employer BGC Partners over accounting irregularities, expressed disappointment that his findings have not prompted broader scrutiny of Lutnick’s past associations.
