Arabic version: وزير التجارة يصف لقاءات مزعجة مع إبستين

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick provided testimony regarding his interactions with the late Jeffrey Epstein during a congressional panel investigation. According to BBC News, Lutnick detailed three encounters with Epstein, a former neighbor in New York, including a visit to Epstein’s home in 2005 and a trip to his Caribbean island in 2012.

Lutnick described his visit to Epstein’s New York residence, where he and his wife were invited for coffee. During the tour, they encountered a room featuring a massage table, which prompted Lutnick to ask Epstein about the frequency of his massages. Epstein’s response, mentioning he received a “right kind of massage” daily, was deemed “off-putting” by Lutnick, leading him to cut the visit short.

In his testimony, Lutnick revealed that he believed he had severed ties with Epstein in 2005 after the unsettling comments. However, he later acknowledged visiting Epstein’s island while on vacation with his family in 2012, raising questions about the nature of their relationship. He expressed confusion over how Epstein’s staff knew of his vacation plans, stating, “It’s unsettling, actually.”

Billionaire Ted Waitt, co-founder of Gateway computers, also testified about his relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator. Waitt recounted his interactions with Maxwell from 2004 to 2010, denying any knowledge of wrongdoing or abuse. He described Maxwell’s role as “estate manager” for Epstein and expressed discomfort with the influence Epstein had over her.

Both Lutnick and Waitt have not been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein’s actions, but their testimonies have sparked discussions about their past associations with the convicted sex offender and his co-conspirators.