Howard Lutnick

After newly released files from the Justice Department revealed ties between the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, calls from both sides of the aisle for his immediate resignation have intensified.

The latest scrutiny stems from a rolling release of federal "Epstein files" mandated by legislation passed by Congress and signed into law as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, with the Justice Department publishing large new tranches in recent weeks as it reviews material for privacy-related redactions.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a co-author of the law that compelled the disclosures, has been among the loudest voices calling for Lutnick to step aside. In a CNN interview aired Sunday, Massie said Lutnick should resign rather than testify, arguing the Commerce secretary had "a lot to answer for" in light of the newly released records.

Democrats quickly seized on the same documents. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, accused Lutnick of misleading the public about the extent of his relationship with Epstein and said the secretary should resign or be dismissed.

At the heart of the controversy are records suggesting continued contacts and business overlap years after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor. Lutnick's past public description of a 2005 encounter with Epstein that he said led him to swear off being in the same room with him again is contradicted by documents showing later communications and apparent business activity.

CBS News reported that documents released by the Justice Department show Lutnick and Epstein were both signatories, through limited liability companies, on a December 2012 agreement to acquire stakes in Adfin, an advertising-technology company that later shuttered.

International Business Times has reached out to Lutnick for comment on the records and alleged business dealings.

The reporting also described email exchanges indicating that Lutnick planned a family visit to Epstein's private island, Little St. James, in December 2012, and later received a message relayed by Epstein's assistant that said, "nice seeing you," implying at least one in-person meeting around that period.

Bloomberg, citing the DOJ materials, separately reported that Lutnick asked Epstein in a December 2012 email whether a visit to Epstein's island would be possible during a Caribbean trip. However, Lutnick has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's crimes.

The Commerce Department has pushed back, portraying the coverage as a politically motivated distraction. In a statement quoted by CBS News, a department spokesperson said the matter was an attempt by "legacy media" to divert attention from the administration's agenda, adding that Lutnick had "limited interactions" with Epstein, in the presence of his wife, and "has never been accused of wrongdoing."

It remains unclear what, if anything, Congress will do next. CNN reported that House Oversight Chair James Comer did not signal an appetite to compel Lutnick's testimony, while acknowledging public accounts that Lutnick visited an Epstein property with his wife and children.