Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will take part in a transcribed interview on Wednesday in connection with the House Oversight Committeeās investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Lutnickās appearance behind closed doors will make him the highest-ranking current official to appear, though heās denied any wrongdoing in his relationship with the late disgraced sex offender.
The two were once neighbors, and Lutnick is likely to face pointed questions from lawmakers about the nature and extent of his Epstein connections. Democrats have scrutinized Lutnickās lack of transparency; he admitted to visiting Epsteinās island during a 2012 family vacation after previously claiming to have cut off contact in 2005.
A department spokesperson said he looked forward to addressing questions and to āputting to rest the inaccurate and baseless claims in the media designed to distract from his historic work underway at the Commerce Department.ā
He might not be the only high-profile witness to testify in the Epstein investigation this month, with former Attorney General Pam Bondi scheduled too.