Students and alumni at Haverford College in Pennsylvania want the school to remove Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's name from its library over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender.
Lutnick graduated from the suburban Philadelphia school in 1983 and is its largest donor, Axios reported.
But the commerce secretary has come under fire after he acknowledged last week in a Senate subcommittee hearing he visited the private island of the New York financier after his conviction for soliciting an underage prostitute.
Lutnick previously said he cut ties with Epstein after 2005.
At the hearing, Lutnick described their contact as a handful of emails and a pair of meetings that were years apart.
"I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with him," Lutnick told lawmakers.
Last year, on the podcast "Pod Force One," Lutnick said he had decided to "never be in the room" with Epstein again after a 2005 tour of Epstein's New York home that disturbed Lutnick and his wife.
But under questioning by senators, Lutnick acknowledged an hourlong engagement at Epstein's home in 2011.
Haverford College President Wendy Raymond said she is taking the issue of removing Lutnick's name under consideration.
"A growing number of Fords [Haverford students and alumni] have written to express their dismay over these revelations and have requested immediate action," Raymond wrote in a message to faculty, students, and alumni Thursday.
"I am taking this complex issue under deep consideration," Raymond added. "Our core values call us to act with curiosity, discernment, and integrity. This duty of care in upholding our mission and values is a constant."
The college president said she would "take the time necessary to continue to reflect and to engage with thought partners before determining whether to activate a review committee" on renaming the library.
Lutnick has been in touch with Michael Kim, Haverford's board chair and a billionaire private equity executive, about the calls to remove his name, Axios reported.
Kim has been supportive of Lutnick.
The White House has pushed back against bipartisan calls for his resignation, emphasizing unity within the Trump administration and dismissing the 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," he wrote.
"The entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick and the Department of Commerce, remains focused on delivering for the American people," Desai said.
"The president's cabinet is working as one team, and they remain focused on results," he said.
A Lutnick spokesperson declined to comment to Axios.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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