WASHINGTON – US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was grilled for hours before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday over his ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Lutnick was the first current Trump administration official to testify before the congressional panel investigating the Epstein scandals, according to media reports.

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During a closed-door interview, Lutnick told lawmakers that he could not recall why he and his family had lunch on Epstein's private island in 2012, contradicting his previous statement about cutting ties with Epstein years ago.

In a podcast interview last year, Lutnick claimed that he had never been in a room with Epstein after an encounter in 2005 and that he had cut off contact with the sex offender.

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Documents released by the Justice Department revealed that Lutnick visited Epstein's Caribbean island in 2012 and invited the financier to a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in 2015. Facing mounting scrutiny from Congress, he agreed in March to testify voluntarily before the committee.

After two hours of questioning, Democratic lawmakers accused Lutnick of lying to Congress and helping cover up the crimes of Epstein, demanding his resignation.

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"After what we have seen so far in this transcribed interview, I feel very comfortable saying that Howard Lutnick is a pathological liar who is enabling the most egregious cover-up in American history," Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari said.

Democratic Representative Suhas Subramanyam criticized Lutnick as "evasive" and "dishonest", saying, "He would not admit to lying, which he clearly did."

Epstein pleaded guilty to a state charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008. He was arrested again in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and died in jail on Aug 10, 2019, before trial. His death was ruled a suicide.