{"id":6299,"date":"2026-02-27T08:07:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T08:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=6299"},"modified":"2026-02-27T08:07:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T08:07:39","slug":"photo-of-lutnick-on-epsteins-island-removed-from-justice-department-files-now-restored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=6299","title":{"rendered":"Photo of Lutnick on Epstein’s island removed from Justice Department files now restored"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A photo released last month by the Justice Department as part of the Epstein files that showed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Epstein’s island in the Caribbean was removed from the Justice Department’s website before being restored Thursday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The photo, which has been authenticated by CBS News, shows Epstein, Lutnick, and three other men standing over an oceanside cliff.<\/p>\n

The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, a nonprofit that preserves digital online content,\u00a0downloaded the photo<\/a> from the DOJ’s website on Jan. 31. It was also archived by Jmail<\/a>, a web interface that was created to archive Epstein content.<\/p>\n

The photo was released under file No. EFTA01230639<\/a> on the DOJ’s website. At some point it was removed and the link pointed to a “Page not found.” However, within hours of publishing the story, it was restored Thursday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CBS News has reached out to the Commerce Department and the DOJ for comment.<\/p>\n

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An undated photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Howard Lutnick (in blue shirt) on Epstein’s island.<\/span><\/p>\n

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U.S. Department of Justice \/ Internet Archive<\/p>\n

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Emails that were in the millions of newly released Epstein files showed that in 2012, Lutnick, his wife and their four children planned a visit to Little St. James, a private island where Epstein had an estate.<\/p>\n\n

The Free Press:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>WATCH: The Epstein Tapes, Part II: The Eye of the Law<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n

Lutnick was invited for lunch on Dec. 24, 2012, and later, Epstein’s assistant\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0on behalf of Epstein, “it was nice seeing you.”<\/p>\n

Lutnick,\u00a0testifying before<\/a><\/span>\u00a0a congressional committee earlier this month, acknowledged visiting there with his family.<\/p>\n

“We had lunch on the island, that is true, for an hour,” Lutnick told lawmakers. “Then we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife all together. We were on family vacation. We were not apart. To suggest there was anything untoward about that in 2012, I don’t recall why we did it. But we did.”<\/p>\n

Lutnick has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and in the hearing said he had “nothing to hide \u2014 absolutely nothing.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, though, Lutnick has faced criticism for his ties to Epstein, who was his neighbor in New York City. Lutnick had previously claimed to have cut off contact with Epstein in 2005.<\/p>\n

However, documents in the Epstein files\u00a0showed the two were in business together<\/a><\/span> as recently as 2014 over their shared dealings in a now-shuttered advertising company called Adfin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Epstein files showed<\/a> that the two communicated about Adfin as late as 2018, with Epstein writing to Lutnick, “on another note what do you think the prospects for adfin are??” \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also in 2018, Lutnick emailed<\/a> Epstein to apparently complain about an expansion plan for the Frick Collection art museum near their homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lutnick warned Epstein that the renovation might “block your sunlight and views.”<\/p>\n

“You should put in a letter. I’m sending a lawyer. Don’t ignore this,” Lutnick wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Epstein died in jail in 2019<\/a><\/span> after his arrest on federal charges of sex trafficking. His death was ruled a suicide.<\/p>\n

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