Nancy Mace Delivers Sharp Rebuke to Trump Official Over Epstein Lunch Admission
Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace has issued a forceful condemnation of US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick following his admission that he had lunch with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on the financier's private island in 2012. The South Carolina representative expressed profound personal disapproval of such associations while stopping short of calling for Lutnick's resignation.
Lutnick's Senate Testimony Reveals Epstein Meeting
During testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, Howard Lutnick confirmed under oath that he had indeed shared a meal with Jeffrey Epstein. "We had lunch on the island, that is true, for an hour," Lutnick stated, acknowledging the 2012 encounter that has since sparked bipartisan calls for his resignation from the Commerce Department.
The admission came amid renewed scrutiny of Epstein's extensive network following the release of court documents detailing his associations with numerous powerful figures. Lutnick's acknowledgment marked a significant revelation about the continued contact between Trump administration officials and the convicted sex trafficker years after his 2008 conviction for procuring a child for prostitution.
Mace's Personal Condemnation and Political Calculations
In an interview with NewsNation host Katie Pavlich following the testimony, Nancy Mace offered a nuanced response that blended personal moral judgment with political pragmatism. While praising Lutnick for his honesty under oath, Mace made her personal position unequivocally clear.
"As a mom, I wouldn't sit and have lunch with a convicted pedophile," Mace declared. "I don't think that's something that I would personally do, but that's my personal choice."
The congresswoman emphasized that while she found the association morally questionable, she did not believe it warranted Lutnick's removal from office. "I wouldn't go that far," Mace stated regarding resignation calls. "I've not seen any evidence that he did anything wrong. You shouldn't just be fired because of who you had lunch with."
Broader Implications for Trump Administration Figures
Mace's comments highlight the ongoing political dilemma facing the Trump administration regarding associations with Jeffrey Epstein. The newly released documents have revealed numerous unexpected names of individuals who maintained contact with Epstein after his conviction, raising questions about the normalization of such relationships among elite circles.
"I saw some names in there of people that I had no idea would be in the files," Mace revealed. "Who were scheduling lunch or meetings with a convicted pedophile. Didn't do anything wrong, but certainly you question, 'Wow, why are all these people, rich and powerful and famous, Hollywood etc, doing this?'"
Despite her criticism of the associations, Mace maintained that her primary focus remained on securing justice for Epstein's victims rather than pursuing political figures who had social connections with him. "My priority is justice for the victims," she emphasized. "That does not include Howard Lutnick, and it does not include President Trump."
White House Response and Historical Context
The White House has moved quickly to defend Lutnick amid the controversy. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Lutnick "remains a very important member" of the Trump administration and confirmed that President Trump "fully supports" his commerce secretary.
This support comes despite Trump's own historical association with Epstein, having previously described him as a "terrific guy" before distancing himself after the financier's legal troubles became public. Lutnick himself had claimed to have avoided Epstein after what he described as a disturbing encounter in 2005, but the recent document releases suggest he maintained more contact than previously disclosed.
The episode represents another chapter in the ongoing political reckoning with Epstein's network, testing the boundaries between personal association and professional consequence in Washington's highest circles.
