Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy during a Tuesday hearing urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to interview Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick following his claims about deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Lutnick said on “Pod Force One” Wednesday that Epstein was the “greatest blackmailer ever,” contradicting the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) July conclusion that no evidence suggested the deceased pedophile blackmailed prominent individuals with a “client list.” Kennedy asked about the interview during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, with Bondi indicating she had viewed the portion where Lutnick made the blackmail claim. (RELATED: NBC News’ Hallie Jackson Could Not Get Single Epstein Victim To Say Trump Had Done Anything ‘Inappropriate’)
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“It appears that Secretary Lutnick was Mr. Epstein’s next-door neighbor. In fact, their town homes shared a wall,” Kennedy said. “And the reporter that was talking to Mr. Lutnick, she asked how other prominent men could have been associated with Epstein when Mr. Lutnick could immediately sense that he was a ‘pervert.’ And then the reporter said, ‘Did they see it and ignore it?’ Do you remember that from the interview?”
Bondi confirmed she recalled that segment.
“And Commerce Secretary Lutnick said, ‘No. They participated.’ And then Commerce Secretary Lutnick goes on to say, ‘That’s what his MO was. You know, get a massage, get a massage. And what happened in that massage room, I assume, was a video. This guy was the greatest blackmailer ever, blackmailed people. That’s how he had money.’ Is that true?” Kennedy asked.
“Senator, our July memo said we did not uncover evidence,” Bondi said. “This case has gone through three administrations, as well as former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta.”
Kennedy asked if she had conducted an interview with Lutnick, with Bondi saying she had not. The senator then asked if she intended to interview him.
Bondi suggested there were no plans for an interview.
“Don’t you think you ought to talk to him after this interview?” Kennedy asked.
“Senator, if Howard Lutnick wants to speak to the FBI and if Director Patel wants to speak to Howard Lutnick, absolutely,” Bondi said.
Bondi and Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn also called out Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin during the hearing for not publishing Epstein’s flight logs.
President Donald Trump asserted in July that he ended his friendship with Epstein after he “stole” spa workers from Mar-a-Lago, including Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was recruited to Epstein’s island to perform sexual acts. Epstein’s former partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, told U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that Trump was a “gentleman in all respects” and “never” witnessed him in an inappropriate setting.
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