US commerce secretary details 'off-putting' interaction with Epstein in testimony

US commerce secretary details "off-putting" interaction with Epstein in testimony7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSareen HabeshianandChristal HayesGetty ImagesA congressional panel investigating late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has released transcriptions of interviews with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Ted Waitt, the billionaire co-founder of Gateway computers.Neither man have been accused of any wrongdoing by Epstein's victims.In his testimony, Lutnick detailed his three interactions with Epstein - a neighbour of his in New York - including a visit to the financier's home next door and his island in the Caribbean.After their first meeting, Lutnick said he decided he would not have a "personal or professional relationship with this person because he obviously doesn't have boundaries". Years later, he visited the island.US commerce secretary to testify before Congress about Epstein tiesLutnick appeared voluntarily on 6 May as part of the House Oversight Committee probe.He said he and wife were invited to Epstein's New York home in 2005. After having coffee, they were offered a tour, during which they were shown a room with a massage table and candles around it.Upon asking Epstein how often he gets a massage, the late financier apparently said: "Every day and the right kind of massage." Lutnick said he found the comment "off-putting", and so he and his wife excused themselves and left the home. Afterwards, he told his wife he did not want to interact with Epstein. The commerce secretary, who is considered the architect of Trump's global tariffs policy, had previously told Congress he cut ties with Epstein in 2005 after the paedophile used sexual innuendo to explain why he owned the massage table in a room of his home.But earlier this year, he confirmed visiting Epstein's island while on a family vacation in the Caribbean in 2012. Details about the visit were included in m...