Fact-Check: Did DOJ Remove Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's Photo From Epstein Files?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The US Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly removed a photograph of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick from its website on Thursday (local time). The photograph was released in January when the Justice Department released millions of documents in connection with the late financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, The Daily Beast reported.

The image, which appears to show Lutnick alongside Epstein and three other men on Little Saint James, the disgraced financier’s private Caribbean island, is said to date back to 2012, a visit Lutnick has previously acknowledged. The photograph had reportedly surfaced in a cached download of the Epstein Files but was later removed from the official archive.

The image was uploaded to Jmail, a browser-based platform that allows users to browse Epstein-related documents in a format similar to a Gmail inbox. A link to the image was posted on its ‘jmailarchive’ section, showing what appears to be a DOJ file labelled ‘EFTA01230639’.

However, when this file name was searched in the DOJ’s official Epstein document database, no matching record was found, suggesting that the file may have been removed or deleted.

** Also Read** | Lutnick’s bombshell reveal on Jeffrey Epstein: ‘Greatest blackmailer’

A Justice Department official did not dispute that Lutnick was present in the picture, but added, "This image was part of a batch of files that were flagged for nudity. The batch of thousands of images was pulled for review and is being uploaded with necessary redactions on a rolling basis. No files are being deleted.”

However, according to a report in the Independent, the link seemed to have appeared again. But when Mint tried looking up, the same file name seemed to be missing from the documents released by the Department of Justice.

Lutnick-Epstein ties

Lutnick, 64, has previously been caught lying about his association with Epstein. In a Make America Great Again (MAGA)-friendly podcast interview last year, he claimed that he had only met Epstein once, in 2005, after he and his wife moved next door to him. According to a report in the Independent, the Commerce Secretary recalled moving next door to the convicted sex offender, getting invited over for coffee, spotting a massage table, and cutting ties immediately.

** Also Read** | How JPMorgan’s bankers stayed close to Epstein after bank fired him as a client

However, files that the DOJ released showed that Lutnick and Epstein corresponded via email years after the latter pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008.

In some of the emails exchanged, there were messages for arranging calls and lunches, including on the paedophile’s island playground, where victims said they were abused sexually. However, it is worth noting that just the mere mention of a person does not ensure any wrongdoing, which seems to be the case for Lutnick.

Trump’s favourite dealmaker in trouble?

US President Donald Trump 's Commerce Secretary, who is his favourite dealmaker, has been facing renewed scrutiny over his Epstein ties, with many Democrats calling for him to resign. On Thursday, Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, took to X and questioned Lutnick on how many visits he made to Epstein’s rape island.

** Also Read** | Did Bondi spy on Democrats’ search history of unredacted Epstein Files?

Reports suggest that recently, Trump confronted Lutnick over his family’s profiting so aggressively from his popularity, during an episode at Mar-a-Lago over the winter holiday, Politico reported.

The Politico report also suggests that Lutnick is also infuriating the staff of other departments, as well, who have called him a menace. The staff faces strict communication controls. According to the official, no one is permitted to engage with other agencies without Lutnick’s direct clearance. Even when aides attend meetings at the White House, they are instructed not to voice any policy stance, limiting themselves to stating that they have no authorised position from the Secretary and that the Commerce Department has nothing to add.

Another official described a confrontational management style. The person said that during meetings, if Lutnick opposes a viewpoint or senses even a carefully worded disagreement, he tends to raise his voice and speak over others, recalling a particularly strained exchange over trade policy last year.

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