President Donald Trump’s administration is defending Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick against bipartisan calls for the Cabinet secretary to resign due to his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The latest trove of Epstein files released by the Justice Department showed that Lutnick planned to visit Epstein’s island in the U.S. Virgin Islands in December 2012 after claiming that he and his wife cut ties with the disgraced financier in 2005. Uncovered emails show that Lutnick kept in touch with Epstein after his 2008 conviction in Florida.

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