How US commerce secretary's Epstein links were uncovered by British whistleblower

A British whistleblower has provided evidence to the US House Oversight Committee suggesting that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick failed to disclose business ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The allegations include a 2018 email chain and plans to commercially exploit contacts associated with Prince Andrew.
Why it matters
The report raises significant questions about the transparency and vetting of high-level US government officials regarding their associations with convicted sex offenders.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Howard Lutnick was appointed US commerce secretary by President Trump in 2025
A British man has told the BBC how he unearthed evidence indicating that his former employer, Howard Lutnick - now US commerce secretary - failed to disclose a business relationship with the paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein.
Simon Andriesz, previously a managing director at a Wall Street firm, discovered an email chain from 2018 in which Lutnick and Epstein had discussed the prospects of a start-up business they were both involved in.
Andriesz shared his findings - from the millions of released Epstein files - with US politicians on the influential House Oversight Committee, ahead of an appearance there by Lutnick in May.
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