Justice Department accused of eradicating picture of Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick from launched Epstein information | EUROtoday

The Department of Justice seems to have briefly deleted a photograph of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick from its web site, which was printed final month as a part of the Epstein information.

The picture apparently depicts Lutnick alongside Jeffrey Epstein and three different males on Little Saint James — the late intercourse offender’s personal island within the Caribbean, which Lutnick beforehand admitted to visiting in 2012.

According to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, the image appeared on the DOJ’s web site on January 31. It was additionally saved by Jmail, a browser-based device that permits customers to discover the Epstein information.

But, on Thursday, Jmail and a number of other information retailers reported that the hyperlink to the picture displayed a “Page not found” message, indicating it had been eliminated. When accessed by The Independent late on Thursday night, the hyperlink gave the impression to be working once more.

A DOJ spokesperson didn’t deny that Lutnick — a Wall Street billionaire turned influential administration official — was within the picture.

open image in gallery

“This image was part of a batch of files that were flagged for nudity,” a spokesperson instructed The Daily Beast. “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.”

The Independent has contacted the White House and the Department of Commerce for remark.

In latest weeks, extra details about Lutnick’s alleged relationship with the convicted intercourse offender has come to mild, prompting requires additional investigations.

In a podcast interview final yr, Lutnick claimed he lower ties with Epstein twenty years in the past. He recounted transferring subsequent door to Epstein in 2005, getting invited over for espresso, recognizing a therapeutic massage desk and instantly ending contact.

“In the six or eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house, my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person again,” Lutnick mentioned on the time.

But information launched by the DOJ reveal that Lutnick and Epstein seem to have exchanged emails years after the billionaire intercourse offender pleaded responsible to soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008. Some of those emails mentioned arranging conferences — together with at Little St. James.

open image in gallery

One alternate confirmed that Lutnick, his spouse and their kids deliberate a go to to the personal Caribbean island in 2012.

During his congressional testimony earlier this month, the commerce secretary acknowledged he and his household briefly traveled to the island — the place victims have mentioned they had been abused.

“We had lunch on the island, that’s true, for an hour,” Lutnick told members of Congress. “Then we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife all together. We were on family vacation. We were not apart. To suggest there was anything untoward about that in 2012…I don’t recall why we did it. But we did.”

He added that he had “absolutely nothing” to hide.

open image in gallery

Being named within the Epstein information is just not in and of itself proof of wrongdoing and Lutnick has not been charged or accused of something.

Still, Lutnick has confronted mounting scrutiny from lawmakers — with some calling on him to resign.

On Thursday, Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, wrote on X: “Dear @howardlutnick: So how many times did you go to Epstein’s rape island?”

“I’m sure there’s a good reason for this,” Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, wrote on X, referencing the obvious deletion of the Lutnick picture. “DOJ needs to tell Congress who pulled this file down so we can ask them.”

Also on Thursday, Rep. James Comer, the GOP chair of the House Oversight Committee, instructed reporters it’s “very possible” his panel will compel Lutnick to offer proof over his relationship with Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell as a part of the committee’s long-running probe.

At the identical time, the DOJ has mentioned it’s “currently reviewing” paperwork that seem like lacking from the Epstein information that element unverified allegations in opposition to President Donald Trump.