WASHINGTON, DC – Following the latest release of files associated with the Jeffrey Epstein case, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) is leading a push for accountability for those associated with Epstein – including Ghislaine Maxwell and Howard Lutnick. On Tuesday, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick testified to Congress that he visited Epstein’s island in 2012, years after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting minors, despite previous public claims that he had cut off all contact with Epstein in 2005. Senator Rosen became the first member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to call for his resignation.
Also on Tuesday, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell appealed to Donald Trump for clemency in exchange for offering testimony that she claims would help Trump in relation to the Jeffrey Epstein matter. In response, Senator Rosen introduced a resolution opposing any presidential clemency for Maxwell and will attempt to pass it in the Senate.
Axios: Dems demand Lutnick’s resignation over Epstein files
- Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is facing growing calls from Capitol Hill to resign over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, after files released last month showed the two were in contact with each other as recently as 2018.
- Why it matters: The blowback over Epstein that has been pointed at President Trump is now expanding to include a Cabinet official with close ties to the president.
- Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), a key Democratic moderate, told Axios on Tuesday that she was calling on Lutnick to resign. She’s the first member of the Senate Commerce Committee to do so.
- Rosen joins a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House that urged Lutnick to resign this week, citing the Commerce secretary’s relationship with Epstein.
- Still, Lutnick acknowledged visiting Epstein at his private island in 2012 after Epstein was a convicted sex offender.
- He said in a podcast interview last year that he cut ties with Epstein in 2005.
- What they’re saying: Rosen told Axios that “I believe that to protect the trust of the American people and to uphold the honor of his office, Howard Lutnick must immediately resign as Secretary of Commerce.”
- “As he has now admitted to Congress, Howard Lutnick continued to have contact with Epstein well after he was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor — and he even visited his island in 2012,” Rosen said.
POLITICO: Senate Democrat aims to put members on record opposing Maxwell pardon
- Sen. Jacky Rosen will introduce a resolution Thursday designed to put the Senate on record opposing the prospect of President Donald Trump granting a pardon or clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who is currently in prison.
- Absent getting Republicans to allow a vote on her resolution, Rosen is discussing whether to try to approve it through a unanimous consent agreement after the Senate returns from next week’s scheduled recess.
- Though the resolution would be nonbinding, it would make the Senate’s official position against a pardon or clemency for Maxwell, which Republicans could see as boxing in Trump if he chooses that route.
MS NOW: Katy Tur Reports: Rosen Calls for Lutnick’s Resignation
Katy Tur: And Jacky Rosen, Senator here in the United States […] Senator from Nevada, saying that she thinks Howard Lutnick, the Secretary of Commerce […] saying that she believes Howard Lutnick should resign as well.
MS NOW: The Weeknight: Rosen Resolution Puts Republicans on the Record Regarding Maxwell Pardon
Alicia Menendez: “Democrats are trying to force Republicans on the record on this, the latest example of this is that you have Jacky Rosen, Senator Jacky Rosen, offering a Senate resolution. The language of the resolution reads, vis-à-vis Ghislaine Maxwell, “Granting a pardon, commutation, or any other form of executive clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell would be inconsistent with the interests of justice and accountability for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.” She’s […] stating that it’s the sense of the Senate that Trump should not grant a pardon or clemency to Maxwell. If Thune won’t bring it up for a vote she’s saying she’s going to try to force a vote by unanimous consent after February recess. You see what she’s doing here, right? She’s making sure that narratively, Republicans are being forced to answer for this, not just the release of the documents. The release of the documents is one part of this fight, but sort of this broader contextualization of whether they are standing up for the powerful or for the powerless.”
Las Vegas Sun: Nevada’s Rosen calls for US commerce chief to resign over Epstein ties
- U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., is calling for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s resignation following his admission to Congress that he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2012.
- Lutnick’s testimony Tuesday contradicted his previous public statements that he had cut off all contact with the convicted sex trafficker in 2005. Lutnick acknowledged during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday that he and his family had lunch on Epstein’s island during a 2012 family vacation, years after Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor.
KTVN Reno: Rosen Calls on Lutnick to Resign for Misleading Americans about Epstein Relationship
Anchor: “Lutnick previously claimed to have cut off all contact with Jeffrey Epstein after 2005 but newly released files showed the two continuing to meet – and even that Lutnick visited Epstein’s island in 2012, four years after Epstein was convicted of soliciting a minor. Lutnick claims the visit was for lunch during a family vacation with his wife, children, and their nannies. U.S. Senator for Nevada Jacky Rosen weighed in on the situation, saying, in part ‘I was appalled to see that Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was included in the files, and to learn that he clearly misled the American people. I believe that to protect the trust of the American people and to uphold the honor of his office, Howard Lutnick must resign.’”
KRXI Reno: Rosen Calls for Lutnick to Resign After He Admits to 2012 Epstein Island Visit
Anchor: “Senator Jacky Rosen is now calling for the resignation of Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick after he admitted to visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s island in 2012. In a statement this afternoon, the senator says, ‘Lutnick clearly misled the American people when he claimed he cut off all contact with Epstein in 2005. I believe that to protect the trust of the American people and to uphold the honor of his office, Howard Lutnick must immediately resign.’”
KLAS Las Vegas: Rosen Calls for Lutnick’s Resignation Over Epstein Association
Anchor: “Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen calling for Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to resign over his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Rosen saying, in part, ‘As he has now admitted to Congress, Howard Lutnick continued to have contact with Epstein well after he was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor, and he even visited his island in 2012. I believe that to protect the trust of the American people and uphold the honor of his office, Howard Lutnick must immediately resign as Secretary of Commerce.’”
Univisión Las Vegas: Rosen Pide la Renuncia del Secretario de Comercio Howard Lutnick
Anchor: “La Senadora de Nevada Jacky Rosen habría pedido la renuncia del Secretario de Comercio Howard Lutnick luego de que admitiera ante el Congreso haber visitado en el 2012 la isla privada de Jeffrey Epstein, años después de su condena. Rosen afirmó que el funcionario engañó al país sobre sus vínculos con Epstein y también aunque la Casa Blanca reiteró el respaldo del Presidente Donald Trump aumenta la presión para que Lutnick dimita.”
KTVN Reno: Rosen Introduces Resolution Opposing Pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell
Anchor: “U.S. Senator for Nevada Jacky Rosen has introduced a resolution opposing any clemency from President Trump for convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. It follows Maxwell’s appeal to the president for clemency in exchange for testimony. In a statement the senator tells us, in part, “I want to make sure the U.S. Senate sends a clear message to the White House that a convicted sex trafficker of minors should not receive any clemency.” The resolution would be nonbinding; it would just make this the Senate’s official position if passed.”
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