The Department of Justice appears to have briefly deleted a photo of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick from its website, which was published last month as part of the Epstein files.
The photo apparently depicts Lutnick alongside Jeffrey Epstein and three other men on Little Saint James — the late sex offender's private island in the Caribbean, which Lutnick previously admitted to visiting in 2012.
According to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, the picture appeared on the DOJ’s website on January 31. It was also saved by Jmail, a browser-based tool that allows users to explore the Epstein files.
But, on Thursday, Jmail and several news outlets reported that the link to the photo displayed a “Page not found” message, indicating it had been removed. When accessed by The Independent late on Thursday evening, the link appeared to be working again.
A DOJ spokesperson did not deny that Lutnick — a Wall Street billionaire turned influential administration official — was in the photo.
“This image was part of a batch of files that were flagged for nudity,” a spokesperson told 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 comment.
In recent weeks, more information about Lutnick’s alleged relationship with the convicted sex offender has come to light, prompting calls for further investigations.
In a podcast interview last year, Lutnick claimed he cut ties with Epstein two decades ago. He recounted moving next door to Epstein in 2005, getting invited over for coffee, spotting a massage table and immediately 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 said at the time.
But files released by the DOJ reveal that Lutnick and Epstein appear to have exchanged emails years after the billionaire sex offender pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008. Some of these emails discussed arranging meetings — including at Little St. James.
One exchange showed that Lutnick, his wife and their children planned a visit to the private Caribbean island in 2012.
During his congressional testimony earlier this month, the commerce secretary acknowledged he and his family briefly traveled to the island — where victims have said they were abused.
“We had lunch on the island, that is 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.
Being named in the Epstein files is not in and of itself evidence of wrongdoing and Lutnick has not been charged or accused of anything.
Still, Lutnick has faced 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 apparent deletion of the Lutnick photo. “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, told reporters it is “very possible” his panel will compel Lutnick to give evidence over his relationship with Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell as part of the committee’s long-running probe.
At the same time, the DOJ has said it is “currently reviewing” documents that appear to be missing from the Epstein files that detail unverified allegations against President Donald Trump.
