US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick defended his 2012 visit to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private island on Tuesday, insisting the encounter lasted ‘just an hour’ and took place during a family holiday. The hearing, led by Senator Chris Van Hollen, scrutinised Lutnick’s previous statements that he had cut off all contact with Epstein after meeting him in 2005. Lutnick emphasised that over 14 years, he had met Epstein only two or three times, and never again after that December 2012 lunch. “Probably the total — and you’ve seen all of these millions and millions of documents — there may be ten emails connecting me with him over a 14-year period. I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person,” Lutnick said. Watch for more