01.02.2026 22:08
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has been revealed to have contacted billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in prison while awaiting trial on charges of sexual exploitation of minors and running a prostitution ring, in 2012 to "arrange dinner" in the Caribbean.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche reported that they shared more than 3 million new files related to the investigation of Epstein with the public, prompting the U.S. press to scrutinize the details of the documents.
U.S. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE ARRANGED DINNER WITH EPSTEIN IN THE CARIBBEAN According to a report by the New York Times based on email correspondence in the documents released by the Department, in November 2012, Epstein's assistant sent an email to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick stating, "Jeffrey Epstein understands that you will be in St. Thomas during the holidays. He asked me to pass along some phone numbers to get in touch."
At that time, Lutnick also mentioned in an email he sent to Epstein that he was visiting the Caribbean region with his wife, children, and some friends on his own yacht, stating, "We are landing in St. Thomas early Saturday afternoon and plan to go to St. Bart's/Anguilla at some point on Monday. Where will you be? Would dinner on Sunday evening work?"
A person whose name was kept confidential in the correspondence responded in an email titled "Below (response) from Jeffrey," stating, "Will you come for lunch on Saturday or Sunday? According to the map, Little St. James is behind Christmans Cove."
Trump and Lutnick MESSAGE RECEIVED A DAY LATER AS PROOF OF THE VISIT Accordingly, the meeting was planned for December 23, 2012. The next day, Epstein's assistant conveyed in an email to Lutnick that Epstein sent the message, "It was nice to see you." The newspaper reported that the documents in question proved that the visit took place.
Among the recently released documents, it was also noted that Lutnick invited Epstein to a fundraising event organized for Hillary Clinton, who was running for U.S. President in the elections at that time (November 2016), in 2015.
CRIME ISLANDS National media reported that Epstein purchased and used the islands "Little St. James" and "Great St. James" in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean region for activities including sexual exploitation and prostitution networks, and these islands are known to the public as "Epstein's crime islands in the Caribbean." U.S. Deputy Attorney General Blanche stated in a press conference held on January 30 that they published more than 3 million new documents related to the investigation of Epstein, making them accessible to the public.
THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN CASE Epstein, who was charged with sexually abusing dozens of girls under the age of 18, including the youngest being 14, and forming a prostitution network, was found dead in his cell at the Manhattan Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York on August 10, 2019.
The disclosed Epstein case files included famous names such as Prince Andrew, U.S. President Trump, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, actor Kevin Spacey, singer Michael Jackson, illusionist David Copperfield, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also stated that as a result of its investigation with the U.S. Department of Justice, no evidence was found that a "client list" of famous individuals was maintained, and it was concluded that Epstein, who was alleged to have been murdered to cover up the crimes of individuals including government officials, celebrities, and businesspeople, actually committed suicide in his cell.