The White House on Tuesday pushed back against calls for the resignation of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, emphasizing unity within the Trump administration and dismissing criticism as a distraction from its policy agenda.
In an email to CNBC, White House spokesman Kush Desai said President Donald Trump stands firmly behind his Cabinet.
"President Trump has assembled the best and most transformative cabinet in modern history," Desai said.
"The entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick and the Department of Commerce, remains focused on delivering for the American people," he continued.
"The president's cabinet is working as one team, and they remain focused on results."
The comments come amid criticism from political opponents and outside groups that have urged Lutnick to step down following revelations about his dealings with disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"Secretary Lutnick lied to the country about his ties to Epstein," Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., wrote in a post on X Monday.
"Now we learned that they were in business together," he continued.
"He has no business being our Commerce Secretary. He should resign."
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told CNN that Lutnick "should just resign" following a New York Times report that said Lutnick interacted "regularly" with Epstein.
"Howard Lutnick clearly went to the island if we believe what's in these files," Massie said.
"He was in business with Jeffrey Epstein, and this was many years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted."
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., called on Lutnick to resign or be fired.
"It's now clear that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been lying about his relationship with Epstein," he wrote in a post Sunday on X.
"He said he had no interactions with Epstein after 2005, yet we now know they were in business together," he continued.
"Lutnick must resign or be fired. And he must answer our questions."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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