In brief
When a former trader sifted through 3.5 million pages of the now‑released Jeffrey Epstein files, he uncovered email chains that link Howard Lutnick, the new US commerce secretary, to Epstein’s shady start‑up plans. In 2018 Lutnick and Epstein discussed a joint venture called Adfin, and earlier a 2013 plan to “buy a prince” that would have let the former Prince Andrew’s contacts funnel business to Cantor Fitzgerald. The findings were sent to the House Oversight Committee, and Lutnick was summoned to testify, though he denied wrongdoing and called the allegations partisanship. The story shows how a single whistleblower can make huge political waves, even into the corridors of US power.
Howard Lutnick, now US commerce secretary, may have hidden a shady partnership with alleged paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, says a British whistleblower who sifted through the huge data dump released by the US government.
Unread emails, hidden in a data wall: The whistleblower, former trader Simon Andriesz, found an email chain from 2018 in which Lutnick and Epstein discussed the prospects of a start‑up called Adfin. The chain made clear that both men had invested in the company and tried to energise it for profit.
“To buy a prince”: He also uncovered 2013 records that Lutnick’s firm Cantor Fitzgerald was preparing a plan to loan £1 million to a business controlled by then‑Prince Andrew. The plan was meant to bind Andrew’s contacts to funnel wealthy clients to Cantor, a move that would have granted the firm an exclusive network.
Andriesz emailed the details to the House Oversight Committee, where Lutnick was scheduled to appear in a covert hearing. Lutnick said he only learned of Epstein’s investment this year and condemned the former financier’s behaviour, claiming no wrongdoing. Democrats, however, called for his resignation.
Despite the controversy, the US Commerce Department had no evidence of illicit conduct. BGC Partners, Lutnick’s former employer, also denied policy breaches and said it had no knowledge of the whistleblower’s claims.
The story reminds us that a single speck – a leaked email chain – can launch a storm across continents, sparking congressional hearings, public backlash, and a fight over who gets to call the shots in Washington, DC.
