Leavitt brushes off Lutnick–Epstein heat with list of administration wins media ignored before ending briefing

By Fox News · Fox News

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off a question about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein during a press briefing Tuesday before redirecting her response and mentioning the administration's recent wins before ending a news conference. "Secretary Lutnick remains a very important member of President Trump's team, and the president fully supports the secretary," Leavitt said Tuesday when asked if President Donald Trump and the White House still support the Commerce chief after his testimony before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday. Leavitt was repeatedly questioned about Epstein during the news conference, including regarding Lutnick telling lawmakers Tuesday he visited Epstein's notorious island while on a family vacation in 2012 but that he otherwise had no relationship with the convicted sex offender. "My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies," he said Tuesday. "I had another couple with. They were there as well with their children, and we had lunch on the island — that is true — for an hour. TRUMP THANKED FLORIDA POLICE FOR EPSTEIN PROBE IN 2000S, FLAGGED ‘EVIL’ GHISLAINE MAXWELL: FBI DOC "I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person, OK?" Lutnick previously said he cut off contact with Epstein in 2005, but recent document releases from the Department of Justice's investigations into Epstein show the pair communicated years later. Democrats and other critics have increasingly called for Lutnick's ouster amid the document release, sparking questions whether the administration continues to support the Commerce chief. EPSTEIN VICTIMS USE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL TO PRESSURE PAM BONDI OVER WITHHELD FILES Leavitt said the administration continues to back Lutnick before launching into a series of wins notched under Trump's watch that the media did not ask about during the press conference, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossing 50,000 p…