E-Paper
Howard Lutnick, Cantor Fitzgerald in focus amid Epstein links; sister Edie Lutnick allegedly linked to Ghislaine Maxwell
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has been in the spotlight as Cantor Fitzgerald, where he worked, was mentioned in the latest tranche of Epstein files.
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has been in the spotlight over alleged links to Jeffrey Epstein. Cantor Fitzgerald, the firm where Lutnick worked, was mentioned in the latest tranche of documents linked to the late convicted child sex offender, released by the Justice Department.
A document detailing a case where the FBI was looking into Epstein and child sex trafficking mentions Cantor Fitzgerald.
The document reads “…called the FBI National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) to report information about Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, who could be connected to Jeffrey Epstein.” It makes other claims about Lutnick as well.
Also Read | Susan Hamblin: 5 things to know as Rep Anna Paulina Luna flags ‘naughty’ email to Jeffrey Epstein
“The CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick, was Jeffrey Epstein's neighbor and he believes some of the suspicious financial activities could be related to Epstein's case,” the document adds. It also mentions charity work done by Cantor Fitzgerald noting ‘he thinks the charity day is fraudulent’.
Lutnick survived the 9/11 attacks by a stroke of luck as he didn't go to work that day. After the tragedy that claimed the lives of hundreds of Cantor Fitzgerald employees, Lutnick started the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund. Amid the claims about Cantor Fitzgerald and Lutnick in the new FBI document, which was in the Epstein files, an old interview of Lutnick has gone viral as well.
Another email from Epstein to one Richard Kahn read “Attached is resume of Lutnick nanny. I am trying to arrange a time via Peter for you to meet her.” People on social media picked up on this as well.
“Jeffrey Epstein was talking about 'Lutnick's nanny.' Howard Lutnick is now Trump's Commerce Secretary,” one person remarked.
However, it remains unclear if this is the same Lutnick as the one who's currently in the Donald Trump administration. Amid the buzz around Lutnick, photos of the masks from Epstein island also began to go viral. These photos were released earlier but social media users juxtaposed one image of a mask with a mustache and beard, comparing it with Lutnick's face.
To be sure, the similarities between the mask and Lutnick's face is merely an observation circulating on social media and in no way implicates the Secretary of Commerce. However, amid the buzz around Lutnick and Cantor Fitzgerald, his sister Edie, has also been dragged into the spotlight.
What to know about Edie Lutnick
Edie Lutnick was a lawyer who also luckily survived 9/11. Their youngest brother, Gary, did not survive the tragedy. Three days after the attacks, Lutnick asked his sister to start the charitable foundation to help Cantor Fitzgerald workers and their families.
She's now the president and co-founder of the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund as per her LinkedIn profile.
There were also claims that Edie Lutnick was a ‘Founding Citizen’ of TerraMar – the nonprofit that was established and run by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's accomplice who's currently in prison. Amid this buzz, Lutnick has made her X profile private.
While Lutnick had said in an earlier interview that he cut all ties with Epstein 2005, the files show that he remained in contact. Two documents from 2011 show Lutnick returned a call to Epstein, and the latter had drinks scheduled with Lutnick. A 2012 communication shows Lutnick was asked about lunch at Epstein's Island, which he confirmed to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
