Lutnick’s camp has tried to minimize his involvement with Epstein through their shared investment in AdFin. A spokesperson for the Commerce Department told CBS News, “Secretary Lutnick had limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing.” And a source close to Lutnick told the network that Cantor was “a small minority investor” in the venture. This source added that at “the time of doing the deal, as a minority investor, Mr. Lutnick would not have any knowledge of who the other investors were.”
That is misleading. Emails and documents in the massive Epstein release not yet reported reveal that Lutnick went on to become a prominent figure in AdFin—not merely a minority investor—and that he and his company were financially interconnected with Epstein in the venture for at least six years. They also show that Cantor essentially took over AdFin, as Epstein played a role as an investor in the struggling firm. It is highly improbable that Lutnick did not know Epstein was a key shareholder.
The Department of Commerce did not respond to a request for comment. Cantor Fitzgerald did not respond to a request for comment.
It isn’t a scandal to be associated with a sex offender in general.
It is a scandal to be associated with the guy who appears to be a major player in black market sex trafficking, arms dealing, power trading and blackmail. Epstein appears to be a central player who traded in back channel access to the richest and highest placed people on the planet and he used his sex trafficking ring to entice and compromise multiple high ranking officials.
He was the very essence of corruption and he is one guy in a group of people (many of whom are still living) who have benefited from this power and sex trafficking network.
Anyone associated with him is automatically suspect, you don’t accidentally meet people like this.
On top of that, Lutnick telling blatant lies in an attempt to distance himself from Epstein isn’t the actions of a person who was operating above board.