Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick donated $5 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, the main super‑PAC backing House Republicans, on April 1. The contribution arrived a month after the House Oversight Committee scheduled a closed‑door interview about his long‑standing ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Lutnick, a longtime Republican donor, had not given money as a cabinet member before. The timing sparked criticism from Democrats.

Lawmakers have been probing Lutnick’s relationship with Epstein since the Justice Department released millions of pages linking the two. Records show Lutnick lived next to Epstein on Manhattan’s Upper East Side for over a decade and visited the financier’s private island in 2012. In the May 6 testimony he described the encounters as “meaningless and inconsequential.” Democrats warned the donation could influence the oversight process.

Federal ethics rules allow cabinet officials to give personal donations, but a seven‑figure gift from a sitting secretary is unprecedented. The filing listed Lutnick’s employer as Cantor Fitzgerald, though he divested in September, raising questions about transparency. Analysts say the move blurs policy and politics. The sizable boost to the super‑PAC could aid Republican campaigns in swing districts ahead of the 2026 midterms.