The Epstein Files Expose America's Elite Power Club

"I have nothing to hide. Absolutely nothing." Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's words to a Senate committee yesterday ring hollow given what we now know about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

A Web of Contradictions

During a podcast interview last fall, Lutnick described an unsettling 2005 encounter with Epstein, his former next-door neighbor. After Epstein gave him and his wife a house tour, showing off his infamous massage table, Lutnick said he was creeped out and left immediately. "My wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again," he declared. "So I was never in the room with him socially, for business, or even philanthropy."

Except that wasn't true. Documents from the Justice Department's Epstein files reveal repeated, cordial conversations between the two men and shared business dealings. When pressed recently by The New York Times, Lutnick doubled down: "I spent zero time with him."

Yesterday's congressional testimony shattered that narrative entirely. After reiterating that he "barely had anything to do with that person," Lutnick admitted to visiting Epstein's private island in 2012—four years after Epstein's conviction for sex crimes.

"I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation," Lutnick explained. "My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple; they were there as well, with their children. And we had lunch on the island. That is true. For an hour. And we left with all of my children, with my nannies, with my wife."

The Trump Administration's Epstein Problem

Lutnick isn't alone. Navy Secretary John Phelan, a billionaire Trump donor appointed despite lacking any military experience, appears in flight logs as a passenger on Epstein's private plane between London and New York in 2006. These flights occurred before Epstein's first indictment, but Phelan has offered no comment on the revelations.

While Senator Chris Van Hollen noted there's no evidence Lutnick was involved in sexual misconduct, his pattern of misleading statements undermines his credibility. Calls for his resignation have come from Democrats and renegade Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky, but Lutnick retains his position largely due to his personal friendship with Trump.

Senator Jon Ossoff captured the broader implications: "This is a government of, by, and for the ultrarich. It is the wealthiest Cabinet ever. This is the Epstein class ruling our country."

The "We Didn't Know" Defense Falls Apart

The standard defense from Epstein associates—from billionaire financier Lutnick to leftist intellectual Noam Chomsky—is that they didn't understand his abuses when they socialized with him. This defense crumbles under scrutiny.

Lutnick visited the island four years after Epstein's conviction. Chomsky's emails show him offering Epstein public-relations advice after accusations became public. Many should have known better, and some clearly did.

Trump himself provides the most damning evidence. In 2019, he expressed surprise at the Epstein allegations: "No, I had no idea. I had no idea." But the Palm Beach police chief recalled Trump commending him in July 2006 when charges first became public: "Thank goodness you're stopping him; everyone has known he's been doing this."

Even more telling was Trump's 2002 comment to New York magazine: Epstein "is a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."

The Conservative Media Blackout

Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, a Republican, admitted her evolving perspective: "Well, initially, my reaction to all this was, 'I don't care. I don't know what the big deal is.' But now I see what the big deal is, and it was worth investigating." Notably, Lummis can speak freely because she's retiring, insulating her from Trump's wrath.

CNN's Aaron Blake reports that while Trump administration officials appear in the newly released files, coverage in conservative media outlets has dropped significantly. The result creates an information asymmetry: Democratic voters, already skeptical of Trump, hear extensive Epstein coverage, while Republican voters who might be swayed remain largely uninformed.

The Privilege Problem

The Epstein files reveal something more troubling than individual misconduct—they expose an elaborate network of wealthy, powerful, globe-trotting elites operating in their own sphere. Lutnick's casual mention of his "nannies" (plural) perfectly encapsulates this world of extreme privilege that most Americans can't fathom.

This isn't primarily about sexual predation—it's about a class of people so insulated by wealth and power that normal rules don't seem to apply. They socialize on private islands, fly on personal jets, and when caught in compromising associations, their first instinct is to lie rather than explain.