White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick after he admitted meeting Jeffrey Epstein twice following Epstein’s 2008 conviction. During Senate Appropriations questioning, Lutnick reversed earlier claims that he had cut ties by 2005, acknowledging two post-conviction meetings and several emails while insisting the relationship was minimal and unrelated to government business. <br /> <br />Democrats pressed Lutnick over a reported visit to Epstein’s private island and accused him of misleading Congress. Leavitt said the administration stands by the secretary, arguing he has been transparent and that the focus should remain on economic policy, not past social contacts, though the admission has revived ethics concerns. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />#KarolineLeavitt #HowardLutnick #Epstein #CommerceSecretary #WhiteHouse #USPolitics #Senate #Democrats #Ethics #Transparency #TrumpAdmin #Congress #Accountability #Appropriations #Scandal #Politics #BreakingNews #JeffreyEpstein #Oversight #Washington<br /><br />~HT.318~ED.103~
