Van Hollen, Merkley Press Lutnick for Answers on Epstein Ties

Washington, D.C.– Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), a member of the Subcommittee and lead sponsor of theEpstein Files Transparency Act, are pressing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for answers on his connections to Jeffrey Epstein,following his admission, in response to questions from Senator Van Hollen, that he had visited Jeffrey Epstein’s island after previously claiming not to have a relationship with him.
“We are writing to follow up on your exchanges regarding your relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious child predator, with members of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies during its February 10, 2026 hearing. Specifically, Ranking Member Van Hollen made the point that you had previously lied about the extent and nature of your relationship with Mr. Epstein. Senator Merkley also raised the issue of your relationship with him. We are writing to request additional information on that violation of public trust,”write the Senators.
“The recently released Epstein files have revealed interactions between you and Mr. Epstein that directly contradict your prior public statements—including a visit to his private island in 2012, years after you previously claimed to have severed all contact and well after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. The files also show that you and Mr. Epstein were each investors in a company called Adfin in 2012. These are glaring discrepancies, and they have understandably further undermined public trust and raised serious questions that only full transparency can address,”they continue.
“In response, Ranking Member Van Hollen asked whether you would share with Congress your own records relating to your interactions with Mr. Epstein in order to ensure that the public record is complete. You responded that you would give the request some thought and stated, ‘I have nothing to hide,’”they note.
The Senators go on to request answers to a series of questions“[in] order to demonstrate to the Committee, Congress, and the American public that you do, in fact, have nothing to hide regarding your relationship with Mr. Epstein.”
The Senators requests’ for information from Lutnick include that he:
“The American people and the survivors of Mr. Epstein’s crimes deserve a full accounting from every public official whose statements on this matter have proven incomplete. If, as you say, you have nothing to hide, then producing these records should be a straightforward matter,”they conclude.
The full text of the letter is available here and below.
Dear Secretary Lutnick:
We are writing to follow up on your exchanges regarding your relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious child predator, with members of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies during its February 10, 2026 hearing.  Specifically, Ranking Member Van Hollen made the point that you had previously lied about the extent and nature of your relationship with Mr. Epstein. Senator Merkley also raised the issue of your relationship with him.  We are writing to request additional information on that violation of public trust.
During a public interview in October 2025, you stated that after being disturbed by a tour of Mr. Epstein’s home in 2005, you “decided I will never be in the room with that disgusting person again” and that you were “never in the room with him socially, for business, or even philanthropy.”
The recently released Epstein files have revealed interactions between you and Mr. Epstein that directly contradict your prior public statements—including a visit to his private island in 2012, years after you previously claimed to have severed all contact and well after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. The files also show that you and Mr. Epstein were each investors in a company called Adfin in 2012. These are glaring discrepancies, and they have understandably further undermined public trust and raised serious questions that only full transparency can address.
In response, Ranking Member Van Hollen asked whether you would share with Congress your own records relating to your interactions with Mr. Epstein in order to ensure that the public record is complete. You responded that you would give the request some thought and stated, “I have nothing to hide.”
In order to demonstrate to the Committee, Congress, and the American public that you do, in fact, have nothing to hide regarding your relationship with Mr. Epstein, we ask that you:

The American people and the survivors of Mr. Epstein’s crimes deserve a full accounting from every public official whose statements on this matter have proven incomplete. If, as you say, you have nothing to hide, then producing these records should be a straightforward matter.
We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
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