Trump DOJ admits pulling photo of embattled Cabinet member with Epstein
The Justice Department admitted Thursday that it yanked a file from the tranche of Jeffrey Epstein's emails that contains a photo of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick alongside the convicted sex offender on the late financier's notorious Caribbean island.
The photograph was discovered by jmail, a tech-run site maintaining a searchable Epstein Gmail archive, The Daily Beast reported. The photo shows the pair on Little St. James island with the DOJ file number EFTA01230639. However, a search of that number yields no results on the official Epstein database, suggesting deliberate removal.
Lutnick previously claimed he visited the island for a family picnic with "his children and his nannies," according to Epstein files revealed by the Justice Department.
When questioned, a DOJ official admitted, "This image was part of a batch of files that were flagged for nudity. The batch of thousands of images was pulled for review and is being uploaded with necessary redactions on a rolling basis."
However, the official insisted, "No files are being deleted.”
Lutnick previously claimed in a podcast interview that he met Epstein only once in 2005 when they became neighbors, then severed contact. Justice Department releases revealed the two exchanged emails years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor in 2008, including messages arranging calls and lunches on Epstein's island.