2026年4月23日 美国东部时间下午3:48 / 福克斯新闻
特朗普驳回了要求其商务部长辞职的呼声，此前卢特尼克因与爱泼斯坦的关联受到审查
作者：阿曼达·马西亚斯 福克斯新闻
“我没什么可隐瞒的”：部长在议员质询其与爱泼斯坦会面情况时予以反驳
商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克因与定罪性犯罪者杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的过往接触面临质询，他坚称自己“没什么可隐瞒的”，但在国会山紧张的交锋中拒绝透露具体细节。（图片来源：C-SPAN）
商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克在周四的预算听证会上多次回避有关其与声名狼藉的金融家杰弗里·爱泼斯坦过往关联的提问。
他拒绝回应其说法中的矛盾之处，并坚称当前场合“并不适合”讨论相关内容，因为他此次是在众议院拨款委员会面前作证讨论预算事宜。
纽约州民主党众议员格蕾丝·孟就相关问题向他施压，此前卢特尼克曾声称自己在2005年就断绝了与爱泼斯坦的联系，但有证据显示二人在此后多年仍保持联系。目前要求特朗普政府将卢特尼克免职的呼声日益高涨，而卢特尼克则刻意转移话题。
特朗普政府商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克将出席众议院爱泼斯坦相关调查，科默表示
2026年4月22日，美国华盛顿特区，商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克在参议院拨款小组委员会关于商务部2027财年预算申请的听证会上作证。（摄影：内森·波斯纳/安纳多卢通讯社 via 盖蒂图片社）
此次交锋凸显外界对卢特尼克与爱泼斯坦过往关系的审查日益加剧，也让人们对其说法的一致性提出新的质疑。议员们正在审议对商务部的监督事宜，并要求与这位已故金融人脉网相关的高级官员提高透明度。
在听证会上，孟指出有报道称卢特尼克曾于2012年造访爱泼斯坦的私人岛屿，且最晚在2018年仍与爱泼斯坦交换商务邮件。
她质问卢特尼克，为何此前曾表示自己2005年后从未与爱泼斯坦“共处一室”。
卢特尼克没有回答她的问题，反而称他已同意在未来几周内与议员们进行单独会面，以“回答所有问题”。“今天我是来为预算作证的，”他说道，并再次重申自己“没什么可隐瞒的”。
众议院自由核心小组试图谴责民主党人涉爱泼斯坦关联的提案以失败告终
2024年1月2日，人们拍摄到美国司法部公布的杰弗里·爱泼斯坦相关文件照片。（乔恩·埃尔维克/美联社）
听证会后续环节上演了同样的一幕：宾夕法尼亚州民主党众议员玛德琳·迪恩更激烈地质问卢特尼克，指责他就自己与爱泼斯坦的关系程度撒谎，并就过往的商业往来向他施压。
“你为何要谎称自己与杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的关系？”她追问道，敦促这位商务部长公开回应，而非仅在闭门会议中作答。
卢特尼克再次拒绝回应，称他将在未来出席另一个委员会的听证会，并拒绝直接回答问题。迪恩打断他说道：“请记录在案——你在回避问题。掩盖行为仍在继续”，随后提出唐纳德·特朗普总统可能将其解职的可能性。
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2025年，在共同牵头特朗普的过渡团队后，霍华德·卢特尼克加入了特朗普的第二届政府。（尤里·格里帕斯/阿巴卡通讯社/彭博社 via 盖蒂图片社）
在公众要求披露这位已故性犯罪者同伙信息的压力下，卢特尼克一直试图淡化自己与爱泼斯坦的过往关系。
二人曾在纽约比邻而居，但卢特尼克告诉国会，自己“几乎没和那个人打过交道”。
截至目前，特朗普政府仍驳回了要求卢特尼克辞职的呼声，尽管有关其过往关联的质疑不断升级。预计卢特尼克将于5月面临议员们更直接的质询。
本文作者阿曼达负责为福克斯新闻数字频道报道商业与政治的交集领域。
Howard Lutnick shuts down Dem questions over Jeffrey Epstein at budget hearing
April 23, 2026 3:48pm EDT / Fox News
Trump has dismissed calls for his Commerce secretary’s resignation amid scrutiny over Epstein ties
By Amanda Macias Fox News
‘I have nothing to hide’: Secretary pushes back as lawmaker questions Epstein meetings
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faces questions about past contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he insists he has “nothing to hide” while declining to address specifics during a tense Capitol Hill exchange. (Credit: C-SPAN)
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick repeatedly shut down questions about his past ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein during a budget hearing Thursday.
He refused to address discrepancies in his statements and insisted the setting was “not” the place to discuss them because he was appearing before the House Appropriations Committee to discuss the budget.
Lutnick deflected as Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., pressed him on why he claimed to have cut off contact with Epstein in 2005 despite evidence they remained in touch for years afterward, amid mounting calls for his removal from the Trump administration.
TRUMP COMMERCE SECRETARY HOWARD LUTNICK TO APPEAR FOR HOUSE EPSTEIN PROBE, COMER SAYS
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick testifies during a during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing on the Commerce Department 2027 budget request in Washington, DC on April 22, 2026.(Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The clash underscores intensifying scrutiny over Lutnick’s past relationship with Epstein and raises fresh questions about the consistency of his account, as lawmakers weigh oversight of the Commerce Department and demand greater transparency from senior officials tied to the late financier’s network.
During the hearing, Meng pointed to reports that Lutnick visited Epstein’s private island in 2012 and exchanged business emails as recently as 2018.
She asked why Lutnick had previously said he was never “in a room” with Epstein after 2005.
Lutnick did not answer her inquiries, instead saying he had agreed to address “any and all questions” in a separate session with lawmakers in the coming weeks. “Today I am here to testify about the budget,” he said, repeating that he had “nothing to hide.”
HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS BID TO CENSURE DEMOCRAT OVER EPSTEIN LINKS GOES DOWN IN FLAMES
Documents included in the U.S. Department of Justice release of the Jeffrey Epstein files are photographed on Jan. 2, 2024.(Jon Elswick/AP)
The same pattern played out later in the hearing when Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., confronted Lutnick more forcefully, accusing him of lying about the extent of his relationship with Epstein and pressing him on past business ties.
“Why did you lie about your relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?” she pressed, urging the Commerce secretary to respond publicly rather than in a closed-door setting.
Lutnick again declined to engage, pointing to a future appearance before another committee and refusing to answer directly. Dean cut him off, saying, “Let the record reflect—you’re dodging the question. The cover-up continues,” before raising the possibility that President Donald Trump could remove him from his post.
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Howard Lutnick joined the second Trump administration in 2025 after co-chairing Trump’s transition team.(Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Lutnick has sought to downplay his past relationship with Epstein amid pressure from the public for the late sex offender’s associates to be revealed.
The two lived next door to each other in New York, but Lutnick told Congress he “barely had anything to do with that person.”
The Trump administration has so far dismissed calls for his resignation, even as questions about his past ties continue to mount, and Lutnick is expected to face more direct questioning from lawmakers in May.
Amanda covers the intersection of business and politics for Fox News Digital.
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