The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, said he met the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein twice after his 2008 conviction, backtracking on his previous claims that he had cut ties after 2005.
Lutnick admitted he had lunch with Epstein on his private island in 2012 in testimony on Tuesday before the Senate appropriations committee.
Democrats, including House members Ro Khanna, Ted Lieu, Melanie Stansbury, as well as Senator Adam Schiff, have called for Lutnick to step down
