Latest / The Epstein Chronicles / Mega Edition: Howard Lutnick And His Trip To Congress (Part 1-3) (7/10/26)

Transcript

Mega Edition: Howard Lutnick And His Trip To Congress (Part 1-3) (7/10/26) · The Epstein Chronicles

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Speaker 1: What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the
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Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're going to begin taking
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a look at the Howard Lutnik transcripts from the deposition
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in front of Congress. Mister Emmer will go on the record.
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This is a transcribed interview of Secretary Howard W. Lutnik
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conducted by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
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under the authority granted to it pursuant to House Rule ten. Accordingly,
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House Rule ten grants the Committee bore jurisdiction for the
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Committee to conduct investigations of any matter at any time.
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This interview is requested by Chairman James Comer as part
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of the Committee's investigation into the circumstances and subsequent investigation
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into the circumstances and subsequent investigations and the crimes of
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Jeffrey Epstein and Glenn Maxwell, the operation of the sex
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trafficking rings, and ways for the government to effectively combat them,
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the ways in which mister Epstein and miss Maxwell's I
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ought to curry favor and exercise influence to protect their
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legal activities, and potential violations of ethic rules related to
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elected officials. Can the witness please state his name and
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spell his last name for the record. Secretary Lutnick Howard
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Lutnik l U T N I c K. Mister Emmer,
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thank you. I want to thank Secretary Lutnik for appearing
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voluntarily here today. My name is Jack Emmer, and I'm
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the Chief Council for Investigations for Chairman James Comer. Under
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the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform rules, you're allowed
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to have council present to advise you during the interview.
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Do you have counsel representing you present with you today? Lutnik, yeah, Emmer,
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will counsel please identify themselves for the record. Mister Tellwigger,
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who is the lawyer for Lutnick? Zach Urwilger, a partner
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at Vincent and Elkins law firm. Another lawyer pops up,
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mister Crowley Michael Crowley, Associate Vincent and Elkins. Another lawyer,
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mister Mayron, Austin Meyron, Department of Commerce. This du needs
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three lawyers to do a deposition about somebody he only
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met three times, according to him. Okay, mister Emmer, thank
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you for the record. Starting with the majority staff, can
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the additional staff members please introduce themselves with their name,
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title and affiliation. Mister Grant Billy Grant, Deputy Chief Council
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for Investigations, Chairman Comber, Peter Spector, Director of Oversight for
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Chairman Comer, Ellison Tolan, Council Chairman Comer, Hannah Cathy, Professional
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staff Member Chairman Comer, Emily Firebend Council for Chairman Comber,
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Brittany Brignack, Senior Council Chairman Comber. Mister Ashworth, Daniel Ashworth,
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General Counsel for Chairman Comer, Will Harness, professional staff member
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for Chairman Coomber, Ashley Vineyard, Deputy staff Director for Chairman Comer,
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Jessica Collins, Communications Director for Comer, and then the next
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names are redacted. Mister Emmer, thank you. We have members
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of Congress present today, starting with the Chairman can the
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Majority members intro, and then the minority members James Comer, Kentucky,
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William Timmins, South Carolina. Emmer, thank you, Secretary Lutnik. Before
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we weigh in, I would like to go over the
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ground rules for this interview. The questioning will proceed in rounds.
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The majority will ask questions for up to an hour,
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and then the minority will have an opportunity to ask
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questions for up to an hour if they choose to
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the extent. Members have questions for the witness, they will
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be propounded during their sides respective rounds. The clock will
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stop before you need to confer with your council, your
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council speaking, and when members are speaking during the opposing
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sides rounds of questions, we will all back and forth
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until there are no more questions. Do you understand, Secretary,
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letnak I do emmer. There is a court reporter taking
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down everything I say and everything you say to make
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a written record of the interview. For the record to
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be clear, please wait until the staffer questioning you finishes
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at each question before you begin your answer, and the
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staffer will wait until you finish your response before proceeding
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to the next round. Further, to ensure that the court
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reporter can properly record the interview, please speak clearly, concisely,
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and slowly. Also, the court reporter cannot record nonverbal answers,
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such as nodding or shaking your head, so it's important
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that you answer each question with an audible verbal answer.
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Exhibits may be entered into the record. Majority exhibits will
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be identified numerically. Minority exhibits will be identified alphabetically. Do
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you understand leut nak I do emmer? We want you
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to answer our questions in the most complete and truthful
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manner possible, so we'll take our time. If you have
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any questions or you don't fully understand the question, please
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let us know. We will attempt to clarify, add context,
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or rephrase our questions. If we ask about specific conversations
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or events in the past, and you are unable to
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recall the exact words or details, you should testify to
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the substance of those conversations or events to the best
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of your recollection. If you recall only part of a
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conversation or event, you should give us your best recollection
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of those events or parts of conversations that you do recall.
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Do you understand, let nick I do emmer. Although you're
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here voluntarily and you'll not be sworn in, you're required
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by law pursuant to Title eighteen of the United States Code,
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Section one thousand and one to answer questions from Congress truthfully,
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not even sworn in. You guys catching on yet, It's
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all a big fucking joke, That's all it is. To
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these people, but not to us and not to the
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vast majority of people out there that are paying attention.
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And this also applies to questions posed by Congressional staff
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in the interview. Do you understand lutnake i do emmer?
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If at any time you knowingly make false statements, you
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could be subject to criminal prosecution. Do you understand lutnik
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i do Emmer. This includes both knowingly providing false testimony,
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but also stating that you do not recall or remember
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something when in fact you do. Do you understand lutnick
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i do Emmer. Furthermore, you cannot tell half truth or
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exclude information necessary to make statements accurate. You're required to
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provide all information that would make your response truthful. A
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deliberate failure to disclose information can constitute a false statement.
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Do you understand lutnick i do emmer? Is there any
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reason that you're unable to provide truthful testimony in today's interview?
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Lt Nick no Emmer. Please note that if you wish
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to assert a privilege over any statement today, that assertion
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must comply with the rules of the Committee on Oversight
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and Government Reform pursu into that Committee, Rule sixteen C
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one states for the chair to consider assertions of privilege
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over testimony or statements, witnesses or entities must clearly state
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the specific privilege being asserted and the reason for the
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assertion honor before the scheduled date of testimony or appearance.
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Do you understand, Secretary Lutnik, I do emmer. Ordinarily we
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take a five minute break at the end of each
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hour of questioning, but if you need a longer break
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or a break before that, please let us know, and
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will be happy to accommodate. However, to the extent that
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there is a pending question, we would ask you to
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finish answering the question before we take a break. Do
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you understand, Lutnik? I do emmer. Do you have any
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other questions before we begin? Lutnick no emmer. Do you
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have an opening statement that you would like to read?
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Lutnick I do emmer. You may proceed, Lutnik, Chairman, Comer,
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members of the Committee and Committee staff, I unequivocally condemned
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the conduct attributed to Jeffrey Epstein and everyone who participated
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in his legal activities. The survivors of his crimes deserve
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our respect and support. I voluntarily agreed to appear and
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answer questions in connection with this Committee's investigation. I would
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like to begin by briefly describing my virtually non existent
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interactions with this individual who lived adjacent to my New
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York City home. In nineteen ninety seven, I purchased an
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unfinished townhouse as my family home in New York City.
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Renovations took several more years than expected due to the
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events of September eleventh terrorist attacks and their impact on me,
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my family, and all my co workers in the World
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Trade Center. Approximately eight years after our purchase, in two
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thousand and five, my family and I finally moved into
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our new home, which happened to be a to his residence.
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Shortly thereafter, my wife and I were invited by that
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individual to his residence for coffee. During this brief interaction
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that included my wife, me, and this individual, he made
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a crude and gross remark in my wife's presence, which
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caused us to cut the visit short and leave immediately
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Following that brief initial meeting. As we walk back to
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our home, my wife and I discussed the encounter and that,
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given his clear lack of boundaries, I would never establish
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a personal or professional relationship with them, and that is
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exactly what I did following this two thousand and five interaction.
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My only other two interactions with Epstein over the ensuring
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ensuing fourteen years were both meaningless and inconsequential. My second
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interaction occurred six years later in twenty eleven, when his
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staff initiated contact with my office, suggesting he had a
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reason to get in touch with me. Our offices attempted
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to connect us by phone over the course of several weeks,
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but we were unable to do so. Ultimately, to the
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best of my recollection, his staff indicated he would be
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in his residence on a particular weekend afternoon, and my
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staff arranged for me to ring his bell during my
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and my wife's typical Sunday walk around the block with
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our dogs. Do you hear what he had to say?
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My best recollection is I rang the bell, sat in
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his foyer with my dog, waited for him to come down,
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heard what he had to say, and I left. As
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far as I recall, it was about scaffolding. It was
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meaningless and inconsequential. Next, some eighteen months later, in late
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twenty twelve, his staff inexplicably contacted my office unprompted regarding
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my family's planned holiday travel to the Caribbean. Unbeknownst to me,
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his staff somehow had become aware that my family and
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I would be near his island over the holidays, although
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they were apparently unsure whether that meant during the Thanksgiving
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or Christmas holiday. I still have no idea how has
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staff discovered my family's vacation plans or why they're pursued
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arranging a visit with me. From what I have since learned,
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it appears he was initially seeking a meeting with just me.
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My wife made clear, however, that we had a large
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traveling party of approximately twelve plus people, and if we
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were to come, it would be with everyone. My family
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of six and another family of six had a brief,
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meaningless and inconsequential lunch, and then left. To the best
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of my recollection, those were the only three occasions in
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which I interacted with Epstein in person. Each and every
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one of those was meaningless and inconsequential. To put this
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in perspective, Epstein lived in the house next door to
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my family for fourteen years, and in that time I
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interacted with him in person only three times, again, each
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meaningless and inconsequential. I had no personal or professional relationship
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with this individual, despite the proximity of our addresses. Further,
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at no time during these limited interactions did I witness
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any conduct, let alone any type of illegal conduct of
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which we have since become aware. In closing, after our
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first interaction, my wife and I discussed that I would
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not establish a personal or professional relationship with that individual.
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On a podcast on October twenty twenty five, I informally
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recounted that conversation. What I said on that podcast regarding
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my conversation with my wife was correct. I did not
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establish a personal or a professional relationship with that individual.
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The documents and my prior testimony confirm that I am
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here to answer your questions. All right, folks, We're going
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to wrap up right here and to the next episode.
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We're going to pick up where we left off. All
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the information that goes with this episode can be found
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in the description box. What's up, everyone, and welcome to
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another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're
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getting right back to the Howard Lutnik transcripts from the
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deposition in front of Congress, Mister Emmer question Secretary Lutnik,
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I understand you've had a long career, but can we
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just start by can you briefly walk us through your
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professional career up until now. Answer by Lutnik. Sure. I
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graduated from Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and my first job
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was with Canter Fitzgerald, and I never had another job,
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So I stayed at the same firm my entire career.
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And if you had asked me or my family two
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years ago, would that be true, I would have assumed
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it would have been for the full amount of my career.
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And then I left Canter Fitzgerald to join the Trump
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administration as the Secretary of Commerce. So it's rather a
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simple career, one job since college and then a second
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job working for the administration. Question. Thank you, and again
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we appreciate your public service and agreeing to testify voluntarily.
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Let's talk about your contact with Epstein, and we appreciate
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the personal or the statement that you made, But let
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start from the beginning. When did you first meet Jeffrey Epstein? Answer?
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I first met Jeffrey Epstein when his staff knocked on
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our door and invited my wife and I to come
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next door for coffee. He lived in the townhouse adjacent
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to ours, and then sometimes later my wife and I
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went over to his house for coffee. It was literally
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eight or ten steps next door. Question and who was
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the staffer that knocked on your door? Answer? Well, I
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don't know, and I didn't answer the door. I have
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someone who works for me who answers the door. Imagine
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that shit, all of these out of touch people. I
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have someone that answers the door for me. Does he
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scratch your nuts? Too? Question? So you were invited? What
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happened when you showed up in mister Epstein's residence? Answer?
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My best recollection is we walked next door, someone answered
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the door. We went through his foyer, up a big
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flight of stairs to his living room, and sat in
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his living room and had coffee. Mister Grant, another investigator
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pipes in, excuse me, what year was that? Roughly, Lutnick,
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this was two thousand and five. Grant, Thank you. Back
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to mister Emmer. Question and you said that you had
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coffee with them. What was the nature of your conversation
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with them during this coffee? Answer? I don't recall. Question
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And approximately how long did this coffee last? Answer? Short,
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A reasonably short amount of time, maybe ten fifteen minutes,
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and then he offered us a tour of his house.
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Question and I recognize that you touched on this in
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your opening statement, But again, when did you purchase your property? Answer? So,
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I purchased the property in ninety seven and then but
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it was an unfinished property, meaning the residents were pigeons
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and mice. I mean literally unfinished, I mean pigeons flying around.
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So it required extensive building. I wouldn't even say renovations.
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It didn't have heating or an air conditioning system. It
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was a raw structure. Question and you said you didn't
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move into the property until two thousand and five. Correct
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answer that that's right. Question And in between the purchase
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and the renovations you made, you had no contact with
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mister Epstein whatsoever? Answer zero? Question What did you know
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about mister Epstein's prior to this interaction? Answer? I didn't
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know of them. I don't recall knowing anything about him.
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Question you had no understanding of what his job was
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when you initially met him? Answer I did not, not
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that I recall everything I say would be what I
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recall today. So question, and again you brought this up
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in your opening statement, But this first interaction you going
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to his home for coffee. That's the interaction you described
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on the Podforce one podcast. Is that right? Answer? Yeah?
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And I went with my wife next door. He invited
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my wife and die over to welcome us to the neighborhood.
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Is what my recollection is, Emma. And for the record,
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I'm referring to the October first, twenty twenty five Podforce
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one podcast that you appeared on as a guest with Miranda.
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The line which we'll discuss more detail shortly. So you
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have this coffee, what happened next? Answer? He offered would
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you like a tour of the house? And we said sure,
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and then we had a tour and we went across
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the hall where you know, across from the living room
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is generally the dining room, and he opened the door
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and there was a massage table and I saw his
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massage table and that ended the tour. Question, So you
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did not see the rest of the house. One room
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is what you're saying. Answer, One room, that's my recollection.
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Another investigator jumps in, mister spector Secretary Lutnik. You mentioned
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in your opening statement that he demonstrated that mister Epstein
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demonstrated a clear lack of boundaries. I think that was
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the word that you used. Are you referring to the
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massage table in that butt Nick? So we were in
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the living room, so I saw the living room, and
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then we went and he opened the door to the
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room across the hall, which was what I assume would
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be the dining room. But he opened it and there
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was a massage table. Lack of boundaries was what he said. Specter,
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what did he say, lut Nick? I asked him why
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I had a massage table in the middle of his house.
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This is the best of my recollection. It's not like
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precisely what he said. This is my general recollection of
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something that's twenty one years ago. So and I said,
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how often do you have a massage? And he said
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my best recollection is he said every day, and the
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right kind of massage. And he said it to me
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and my wife standing next to me, and we looked
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at each other and we left mister Emmer for the record.
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What did you interpret mister Epstein to mean when he
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said the right kind of massage? Answer that it would
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become some form of sexual nature. And that's what I
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assumed it meant. Question, And at this point did you
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ask and the tour or you just said we're going
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to leave. Answer. I don't remember precisely what we said,
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but we basically excused ourselves and departed. Question did your
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wife ask mister Epstein any questions related to the massage table? Answer?
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I don't recall her speaking. No. Question. So on the podcast,
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you said, after seeing the massage table in mister Epstein's
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house and the six eight steps it took for you
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and your wife to get back to your house, you decided,
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and I'm quoting, that I will never be in the
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room with that disgusting person ever. Again, Is that an
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accurate characterization of the statements that you made on the podcast?
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Answer by Lutnik. That is informal, in complete discussion that
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my wife and I had as we walk back, the
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point of which was when I discussed it with my
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wife that I, Howard Ludnik, would not have personal or
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professional relationship with this person because he obviously doesn't have boundaries,
19:41
so just avoid him. I should avoid them. And that's
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what we discussed. It's not verbatim what we said, because
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this is twenty one years ago, but it's and it's
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what I did. I avoided that person. Question and I
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believe my colleague may have been asking a similar question,
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But that feeling that he was disgusting, that was b
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solely on interaction with Epstein after you saw the massage
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table and asked him about it. Is that right? Answer?
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It was based on the comment that was inappropriate and
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gross to me and my wife. It was just off
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putting and we left. Question. It's been reported, and we've
20:16
seen by the files released by the Department of Justice
20:18
that mister Epstein decorated his home with creepy and disturbing artwork.
20:22
Did you notice any unusual artwork at his residence when
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you visited. Answer? The living room, which I saw did
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not have anything creepy or unusual in it. Question you
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didn't notice any paintings or photos of nude women or
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girls on it when you visited the property? Answer? No,
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I would have noticed them, so no question. So I
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want to talk more about your appearance on the Podforce
20:45
one podcast and the statements you made. But first, generally,
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how did this appearance come about? Answer? I don't know offhand.
20:53
You know it comes from your communications director. They set
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it up. I don't know. Question and the topic of
20:59
Jeffrey Epps was the first topic during this appearance. Did
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you know that you would be discussing Jeffrey Epstein when
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you agreed to go on the podcast? Answer no, I
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thought I was going to talk about September. Eleventh question,
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so we talked about the statements that you made after
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seeing the massage table that guy's gross, disgusting. You'll never
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be in the room with him again, and you said
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it was just a one and done. Is that a
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fairer characterization of your statements? Answer? No. I think the
21:27
right way to think about it is my wife and
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I discussed that I would not be in the room
21:30
with him for professional, philanthropic, or social reasons, meaning don't
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form the simplest way to say it, don't form a
21:37
personal or professional relationship with him, avoid establishing one because
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he has no boundaries. Right he said something inappropriate, just
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avoid them, and I did. So. That was the discussion
21:49
with my wife. It was informal. I wasn't trying to
21:52
be precise. I was trying to have people understand that
21:54
I that my wife and I discussed that I would
21:57
not establish a personal or professional real relationship with him,
22:01
and that I did not thereafter. I did not question
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during the podcast you dispute any characterization that you implied
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that after the initial interaction that you would interact with
22:12
mister Epstein again. Answer, I would the characterization suggesting that
22:17
I couldn't be in the room that personally. It was
22:20
a discussion with my wife that I, as a man,
22:23
should avoid being with him because he has no boundaries
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and that won't work well for me in my life
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if I'm with someone with no boundaries, so avoid him.
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That was the discussion I had with my wife, and
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I did avoid him, So it was true what I said.
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It wasn't that I couldn't be if he As the
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members know, often people come to up to you and
22:41
you know, say hello to you in a big crowd.
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I wasn't saying that couldn't occur. It didn't occur. But
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the point I was making is I would not have
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a personal or a professional relationship with him. I would
22:52
avoid it, and I did avoid it. Question did you
22:56
interact with Epstein after the initial interaction that you described
22:59
on the podeat? Answer? I said my opening statement, I
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had two in person interactions with them thereafter over the
23:06
next fourteen years, even though I lived adjacent to them.
23:09
Two interactions over the next fourteen years, both meaningless and
23:13
inconsequential question, and we will get into more specifics, But
23:18
did you visit Epstein's private island? Is that right answer?
23:23
I did visit Epstein's private island with my wife and children,
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and another couple and their four children in staff. Yes. Question.
23:30
I want to briefly talk about statements that you made
23:32
related to and I'm going to your statement was that
23:36
Epstein had an MO to give massages to influential individuals
23:40
and that he used blackmail for the record, that was
23:43
based not on first hand knowledge. Is that right answer?
23:46
Correct question? Churwolger, I'm sorry, counsel. Would you mind just
23:51
letting us know where that statement's coming from? Emmer during
23:54
the podcast? Urwilger, thank you, Emmer, and I'll be happy
23:58
to pull out the transcript. Turwulger, No, just curious. Just
24:03
wanted to make sure that we're tracking where you're pulling
24:05
the statement from. Thank you, redacted. We can't hear back here. Lutnick,
24:11
I was just speculating for a podcast. I had no
24:13
personal information. I was just speculating for a podcast, Emmer.
24:18
So for the record, sir, did Jeffrey Epstein ever inform
24:21
or represent to you that he was part of any
24:23
intelligence service of any nation, including the United States. Answer no. Question,
24:29
So how would you characterize your relationship with mister Epstein? Answer?
24:34
I had no personal or professional relationship with him. I
24:37
had two interactions in person that were meaningless and inconsequential.
24:42
I would say I had no relationship with him. Question
24:46
how often did you interact with Epstein in a personal capacity? Answer?
24:50
I met him once in two thousand and five. I
24:52
had two meaningless and inconsequential other personal interactions, and I
24:56
tried to think about this as many times as I can,
24:59
and I can think of any others, nor do the
25:02
document show any others. Question besides the in person interaction,
25:07
which again we'll talk about more specifically later, did you
25:10
email have phone calls with mister Epstein? Answer? I don't
25:14
recall ever having a phone call with mister Epstein, and
25:17
I think I had one set of email interactions with
25:19
mister Epstein personally that went meaning Four were written by
25:23
me to him, but in one effectively one conversation. I mean,
25:28
I said A, he responded, B, I wrote see he
25:31
responded D. And I think that there were a total
25:33
of four in one day once question, for the record,
25:37
you've mentioned the visit to the island, the tour of
25:40
the town home. Did you ever visit Epstein's Palm Beach home?
25:43
Answer no. Did you ever visit Epstein's New Mexico ranch,
25:47
answer no question. His Paris apartment? Answer no question. Did
25:53
you ever visit any property owned or at least by
25:56
mister Epstein? Answer no question. Did mister Epstein never invite
26:00
you to any of his properties? Answer no question. Did
26:04
you ever fly on any of mister Epstein's private planes?
26:07
Answer no. Specter, and just for clarity on the record,
26:13
you had besides the two interactions you discussed at Epstein's
26:16
New York home, did you ever visit that home at
26:19
any other time that he was not present? Lutnick No.
26:24
All right, folks, We're going to wrap up right here,
26:27
and in the next episode dealing with the topic, we're
26:29
going to pick up where we left off. All the
26:31
information that goes with this episode can be found in
26:34
the description box. What's up, everyone, and welcome to another
26:37
episode of the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're getting
26:41
right back to the Howard Lutnik transcripts from his interview
26:46
with Congress mister Emmer. Question, did mister Epstein ever fly
26:54
on one of our one of your private planes? Answer no.
26:58
Question did you ever fly with miss Epstein on any aircraft?
27:02
Answer no. I had no other personal interaction with them,
27:05
just the three. So I'm happy to say no, but
27:08
there by definition no, since I had no personal interaction
27:12
with them. Question, to the best of your recollection, when
27:15
was the last time you communicated with mister Epstein. Answer
27:20
it's the one email exchange in twenty eighteen, and that's
27:24
the only one that I know of actually. Question, thank you, Secretary.
27:28
The Committee is also investigating Maxwell. Do you know Galline Maxwell?
27:32
Answer from the newspapers. Question have you ever met Gallaine Maxwell? Answer?
27:37
I met her once. Question can you explain to me
27:41
and the committee when you met her? Answer, to the
27:43
best of my recollection, I met her once. It was
27:46
at a Rockefeller Institute fundraiser in New York City. Question,
27:51
and what was the nature of your conversation with miss Maxwell?
27:54
To the best of your recollection? Answer meaningless inconsequential. Mister
28:00
Grant pops in, do you know roughly what year this
28:03
meeting would have occurred? Lutnick, I do not spector asked
28:06
a question. Now, did you know where to be affiliated
28:09
with Jeffrey Epstein when you met her? Lutnick? No, question
28:14
by mister Emmer. Who else was present when you met her? Answer? Well,
28:18
it was a charity fundraiser for Rockefeller Institute, which is
28:21
the premier medical research institute in New York, which is
28:25
adjacent to New York Hospital. Question, thank you, Secretary Lutnik.
28:30
In two thousand and five, police in Palm Beach, Florida,
28:33
began investigating Epstein. In July of two thousand and six,
28:36
Epstein was arrested for the first time for soliciting prostitution
28:40
for minors. When did you first learn of Jeffrey Epstein's
28:43
two thousand and six arrest Answer? I don't recall whether
28:47
when or whether I knew that, so I just had
28:49
no recollection whether I knew that or not. Spector. Mister
28:53
Epstein reportedly had to register as a sex offender after
28:56
he was convicted of that two thousand and six offense.
29:00
You ever notified by way of him being your neighbor?
29:03
Will you ever notified about his status? Secretary Lutnik? No, Specter,
29:08
did you have children under the age of eighteen during
29:11
that time? Lutnik. Yeah, Emmer. And to be clear, did
29:16
you ever have any reason to suspect mister Epstein was
29:19
actually abusing young women and girls? Answer? No. Question did
29:23
anyone around you ever discuss mister Epstein's arrest in Florida?
29:27
Answer not that I can remember. Question Secretary Lutnik, you
29:32
touched on this in your opening statement. But to be clear,
29:35
you visited Little Saint James Epstein's island in December of
29:38
twenty twelve. Is that right? Answer? In around just before
29:44
Christmas twenty twelve, I visited the island for lunch with
29:47
my wife, my children, my friends, my friend, his wife,
29:51
their children, and my staff for an hour. I did.
29:54
I'm not sure I knew the name of it either.
29:57
Question if I said that you're a visit was on
30:00
December twenty third of twenty twelve, would you dispute that statement? Answer?
30:04
I would not, Emmer. At this time, I would like
30:07
to introduce as majority Exhibit one. This is EFTA two
30:12
one five one five three zero, and I'll give you
30:15
a moment to review question, so I'll read it into
30:20
the record. This is an email from Tuesday, November twentieth
30:24
of twenty twelve, sent by Leslie Groff. The subject line
30:27
reads Jeffrey Epstein. The email reads, how well, mister Luttnik,
30:31
Jeffrey Epstein understands that you'll be down in saying Thomas
30:35
over the holidays. Jeffrey requested I please pass along some
30:39
phone numbers to you so the two of you could
30:42
possibly get together. Any numbers you wanted to pass along
30:45
to Jeffrey would be great as well. I will say,
30:47
it appears that you are the recipient of this email.
30:50
Do you recall receiving it? Answer? It may be helpful
30:53
for you to understand that if the email says Howard
30:56
Lutnik or Lutnik Howard, those went to Matthew Gilbert didn't
31:00
go to me. They were not, meaning I would never
31:02
see them. They went to Matthew Gilbert. You know, if
31:06
they went to me, if they're listed as HWL and
31:09
because I received hundreds of emails sometimes thousands, and they
31:12
went to Matthew Gilbert and I would not see them.
31:15
So these would have gone to him and I would
31:17
not have seen them. Question I understand, and for the record,
31:21
that's why Matthew Gilbert would have been the individual who
31:23
responded to this email. Is that right? Answer. I mean
31:27
he would respond sometimes in his name, but he would
31:30
also respond sometimes to the same email in my name. Question.
31:34
And you discuss the invite in your opening statement, but
31:37
I'm going to ask you again, how did your visit
31:40
to Little Saint James come about? Who coordinated it? Answer?
31:44
What I still cannot understand is this November twentieth, How
31:48
or why without any communication for years, would he inexplicably
31:52
know where I'm going? It's unsettling, actually, but this is
31:55
how it happened. You know, I don't know why it happened,
31:58
but this is you're atually literally seeing it how it happened.
32:02
But it's inexplicable that he would and his staff would
32:05
know where I was going to be. I had no
32:07
interactions with him. Question. So to be clear, you didn't
32:11
reach out yourself to tell mister Epstein that you were
32:14
going to be in the US Virgin Islands over Christmas?
32:16
Is that right? Answer? Yes, Yes, that is correct. I
32:20
did not in any way contact or have any connection
32:24
to them. Question And it would be safe to say
32:27
that the invite surprised you. Answer, I find it unsettling
32:32
and inexplicable. Question who else was involved in coordinating the
32:36
trip to the island. Answer, I have no recollection, so
32:39
I can't give you more information. I just have no
32:42
recollection of it. Question. During our review of the documents
32:46
that have been released, it appeared that your wife may
32:49
have been in contact with mister Epstein's team. Did she
32:53
ever say anything to you about the island visit? Answer?
32:56
Not that I can recall. Now, no, specter, do you
32:59
know if anyone on your staff or anyone else close
33:02
to you had a connection with mister Epstein or his staff.
33:06
I'm just trying to understand how he may have been
33:08
aware of your travels. Lutnick, me too. I find it
33:12
inexplicable and unsettling, and just reading this sort of it's bothersome.
33:17
So no, I don't know. Emma. So you were live
33:21
on the island on December twenty third, to the best
33:23
of your recollection, can you describe the events what happened
33:26
when you arrived on the island. Lutnick, sure, So it's
33:30
fourteen years ago. I went for lunch with my wife,
33:34
my four children, my friends, a couple with their four children,
33:38
and staff and both staff, so it was probably fifteen
33:41
or sixteen people went for lunch. We sat outside had lunch.
33:45
It was boring. We left. Specter, did this friend and
33:49
their family that was with you have any prior connection
33:52
with mister Epstein? Or were they there as your guests
33:55
and for your visit to your neighbor Lutnick. They were
33:59
there as my guest, but I don't know, and I've
34:01
never heard that they had any contact with them whatsoever.
34:04
Spector prior or subsequent to the visit Lutnik, prior and
34:09
subsequent spector thank you question by Emmer, mister Epstein didn't
34:14
offer you a tour of the island while you were there?
34:17
Answer no other than we walked. I think like from
34:20
where we had lunch, there was like this, To the
34:22
best of my recollection, it was like a cliff, so
34:26
we went to sort of look at the water. Question
34:29
what was the nature of your conversation with mister Epstein
34:31
during the visit? Answer meaningless and inconsequential. I was with
34:37
my wife and my children and my friends, another couple
34:40
in their children, who was a big crowd, and we
34:42
had lunch and we left. Question besides the group that
34:45
you arrived with, who else was president on the island? Answer?
34:49
Just staff. You know, we were outside under sort of
34:52
a cover outside area. That was it. Question did you
34:56
see any young women or girls on the island? Answer no?
35:00
Question and diassis in the context of the New York
35:03
town home. But did you notice any weird or unusual
35:06
artwork when you visited the island? Answer no, I wasn't
35:10
inside any building. I don't recall being inside any building.
35:15
Question and you never visited the island again? Is that right? Answer?
35:19
That's correct? Never. Question did you ever hear rumors about
35:23
the island? Obviously now it has the nickname Pedophile Island?
35:27
Nothing of that sort prior to or around the time
35:29
you visited? Answer no, of course not. In twenty nineteen.
35:34
We all learned lots of information, but nothing before then.
35:38
Question there's a photo that was released I believe in
35:41
the Epstein File Transparency Act and has been reported. Are
35:44
you aware of the photo of you on the island?
35:46
Answer yes. Question and that was or what you were
35:51
describing of looking over the cliff. Would it be safe
35:54
to assume that was when the photo was taken? Answer yes,
35:58
it's entirely confirmatory that that photo specter. Had you seen
36:02
that photo before it was released by the Department of
36:04
Justice Lutnik? No question, by spector. Did you know it existed? Lutnick, No,
36:11
mister Emmer. At this time, I would like to introduce
36:13
majority exhibit, and these are photos that were released by
36:16
the Department of Justice as part of the Epstein Files
36:19
Transparency Act. Lutnik Majority Exhibit number two was marked for identification. Emmer.
36:26
Question and for the record, these are images showing multiple
36:30
mass of different male faces hanging on the walls of
36:33
a room at mister Epstein's Island, with a dentist chair
36:35
in the middle of the room. Secretary Lutnik, when you
36:38
visited Epstein's Island, did you see or enter this room?
36:43
Answer no question. Have you seen pictures of the mass before?
36:47
Answer no question. The reason that we introduce this is
36:51
many people online have speculated that one of the mass
36:54
resembles you, specifically the one on the first page in
36:58
the middle. What's your response to these claims? Answer? You
37:01
gotta be kidding me. That's the most ridiculous and absurd
37:04
thing I've ever heard. What a bald man I have hair? Look,
37:08
I mean I don't have many, but at least I
37:10
have some that is not remotely me. That's nonsense. Question.
37:14
Thank you. During your visit to the Island. Did you
37:17
discuss the company Adfin Solutions with mister Epstein? Answer no question.
37:23
What was Adfin Solutions? Answer? It was a company that
37:26
attempted to create an exchange for online ads. They went
37:30
out of business. Question Were you personally an investor in
37:33
Adfin Solutions? Answer no question. Was Canter Fitzgerald an investor
37:39
and Adfin Solutions? Answer yes to this. Mister Twellinger jumps in,
37:46
mister Emmer, Just so the record's clear. I believe there's
37:48
different redacted. We can't hear over here. Turwilger. Sure, Just
37:54
so the record's clear, mister Emmer, I think you may
37:56
want to ask which part of counter Fitzgerald there's multiple subsidiaries,
38:00
or the secretary could offer a little bit more information.
38:03
Which part of Cantor was an investor? Emmer? Which part
38:06
of Cantor Fitzgerald was an investor? Answer? Caner Fitzgerald has
38:11
a subsidiary that did venture capital investing with small investments
38:15
in many companies in sort of high risk investments. And
38:19
then those would then have subsidiary companies that might be
38:23
for each particular investment. It was called Canter Ventures, and
38:26
so the company would be called CV. So Canter Ventures
38:30
would be CV, but it was a venture capital arm
38:34
of Counter Fitzgerald, so sort of multiple layers down the
38:37
subsidiary chain. Question and the reason that we ask is
38:42
there was a stock purchase agreement that was released as
38:44
part of the Epstein File Transparency Act that you signed
38:47
on behalf of cv AFH and mister Epstein signed. Did
38:52
you know that mister Epstein was an investor in this
38:54
company adfin Answer no question. When did you learn that
38:59
he was an investor? Answer to the best of my knowledge,
39:02
when these documents were released best my recollection question. And
39:07
would you have been aware of all the investors, whether
39:09
they were individuals or entities in any of Kenterer Fitzgerald's portfolios.
39:14
Answer no, of venture capital investments, no question. And for
39:18
the record, had you and mister Rapstein ever invested in
39:21
the same company prior to this occurrence? Answer no, not
39:25
that I know of. Mister Grant Jumps in this signatory
39:30
page from the investment to Advin Solutions, you said you
39:33
had not seen or I'm sorry that you let me
39:35
a rephrase. It's common for another investor in a VC
39:38
deal to have the page from another investor. Let Nick
39:42
know I found it inexplicable and unsettling that he had
39:46
that it was released, that my company's signature page would
39:49
be in someone else's files. It's unsettling, Emmer. And when
39:54
a stock purchase agreement is executed and the individuals are signing,
39:58
they're typically not in the same room. Is that right, Ludnik?
40:01
That is correct, mister Grant. And do you have any
40:04
idea of how mister Epstein would have come across that page?
40:08
Answer from Lutnick. No, I find it inexplicable and unsettling,
40:16
mister Emmer. At this time, I'd like to introduce majority
40:18
Exhibit three, and this is an email that you are
40:22
not a recipient of, dated May fourth, twenty thirteen, from
40:25
Jeffrey Epstein to David Mitchell discussing ad Finn and a
40:28
potential meeting between you and mister Epstein. Question, mister secretary,
40:34
do you know who David Mitchell is? Answer? Yes? Question
40:38
how do you know him? Answer? He was the husband
40:41
of one of my wife's friends. Question were you in
40:44
contact with them during this period of spring twenty thirteen? Answer?
40:48
I may have been. Question when did you understand his
40:51
relationship to be with Jeffrey Epstein? Answer I don't recall
40:54
knowing that he had any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Question
40:58
and what we're specifically interested in here one it says
41:02
one of the line says, I think I'm seeing h.
41:04
Lutnik later cool restaurant in Williamsburg. Do you recalled meeting
41:09
Epstein at a restaurant in Williamsburg in May of twenty thirteen? Answer?
41:14
I did not. I mean this seems to think that
41:17
David Mitchell was planning on seeing me, not mister Epstein.
41:20
But as I testified, the only times that I recall
41:23
ever seeing them are the ones that we've gone through already,
41:28
mister Emmer. At this time, I'd like to introduce majority
41:30
Exhibit four. And this is an email chain dated May
41:34
twenty eighth, twenty eighteen, between Jeffrey Epstein and a redacted
41:39
email labeled HWL It's Big Bates mart EFTA one zero
41:44
five zero seven seven to two. Lutnick. Majority Exhibit number
41:49
four was marked for identification. All right, we're gonna wrap
41:53
up right here, and in the next episode dealing with
41:55
the topic, we're gonna pick up where we left off.
41:58
All the information that goes with this episode can be
42:01
found in the description box