HuffPost - Dem Calls For Top Trump Official To Testify Over Claims Made About Ex-Neighbor Jeffrey Epstein

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) a top member of the House Oversight Committee, said Wednesday committee members “need to speak with” President Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick concerning damning comments he made about his former neighbor, Jeffrey Epstein.

Lutnick appeared on New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast Wednesday, to recount a “one and done” interaction with Epstein, who was his neighbor for a few years, where he was given a tour of Epstein’s New York City townhouse and observed a dedicated “massage room.”

The secretary said he would not socialize with Epstein again after that interaction and made a bombshell allegation about the disgraced financier.

Lutnick told host Miranda Devine he suspected Epstein was blackmailing his high-profile friends and associates who participated in the abuse of young girls with incriminating footage.

“They get a massage, that’s what his M.O. was. ‘Get a massage, get a massage,’ and what happened in that massage room, I assume, was on video,” Lutnick claimed. “This guy was the greatest blackmailer ever. That’s how he had money.”

Lutnick theorized that Epstein “traded” the incriminating videos to secure a 2008 plea deal where he avoided federal sex trafficking charges and instead received an 18-month sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Garcia called Lutnick’s comments “incredible,” on Wednesday night’s episode of CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” adding that the oversight committee is interested in understanding where the Trump official’s speculation came from.

“We know there are a lot of people [who] have information within the administration that could be helpful to our investigation,” Garcia said. “Clearly, there is some here and, clearly, we need all the files released.”

He told Burnett he would “100%” support a subpoena for Lutnick.

“We need to have Howard Lutnick in front of the committee,” Garcia said. “It needs to happen ASAP. The fact that he has information that could be critical to this investigation and that he’s, of course, part of the Trump administration, critical for us to get this information immediately.”

Lutnick’s speculation would potentially undermine FBI Director Kash Patel’s claim last month that there was “no credible information” that suggested Epstein trafficked his victims to other people.