Newsmax's Greg Kelly defends Howard Lutnick amid Epstein revelations: “Everyone's saying, well, he lied. ... I don't see it that way.”
Kelly: “I'm sorry if I'm not, you know, pleasing people about this Epstein stuff, but I'm not going to get on board a witch hunt. And this is a witch hunt.”
Published
Citation
From the February 10, 2026, edition of Newsmax's Greg Kelly Reports
GREG KELLY (HOST): Now the whole world's going crazy in Washington, that is, because they think they might be able to get another cabinet secretary of his in trouble. Somebody by the name of, I'm sorry, the Commerce secretary, Lutnick, Howard Lutnick. I've never met him, but I know his firm, Cantor Fitzgerald. This man lost his brother on 9/11. His firm was based in the World Trade Center. So, he describes a meeting with Jeffrey Epstein. And this is when he said it happened.
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KELLY: 2005. That's the part there. And then he goes a little bit further about -- I think he's innocent. All right? But this is the way America works these days. We don't want it to work this way. They're trying to cancel him and he's a good man. Watch.
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KELLY: So, the big scoop in the emails, the Epstein files is as follows, that in the year 2012, he writes to Jeffrey Epstein the following. We are landing in Saint Thomas early Saturday afternoon and planning to head over to Saint Barts, Anguilla, is it on Monday at some point? OK? Continue please. Where are you located? What is the exact location for my captain? This guy has his own yacht. Does Sunday evening for dinner sound good? This is Howard pitching this to Epstein. I have another couple, Michael and Marcy Lehrman, with me on my boat. And each of us have four children, 2 16 year-olds, 2 14 year-olds, 13, 12, 11, and a seven year-old. Thanks, Howard. Now, to me, that is an invitation. They're arranging a social get together, whatever. And it involves their kids. This is so they have age appropriate food. I heard some people saying, well, they're probably setting up a kiddie porn orgy. Are you crazy? No they're not. No they're not. I feel terrible about this. I really do. Now, after all, he did say. Well, the last time I saw him was in 2005. Now this is in 2012. We'll get to that in a second. Here's Secretary Lutnick from the Commerce Department today. He had a hearing and, well, this came up.
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KELLY: And that was it. Let me see part three of that email one more time, OK? His kids were coming over. This is not for -- this is like regular. This is social. President Trump was right. When these files would hit, people would be hurt -- innocent people would be hurt.
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KELLY: So he's right. Now, I want to see Lutnick. Right? So everyone's saying, well, he lied. He lied about in the podcast about when he last saw Epstein. I don't see it that way, I just don't. I see people -- 2012 is how many years ago now? That's 14 years ago, right? I have been to Disneyland probably 7 or 8 times in my life. Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida. Here I am with my mom in Disneyland, actually. We're having a great time on one of those trams. That's me. I remember that big tooth I had before the other one came in and it was so cool. I don't know what year that was in. And I've been back since. I have no idea what year - was it, 2010, 2004, 2015? I remember vague images of Space Mountain and stuff we had to eat and the Polynesian Hotel. It all blends together. Could have been 2010, it could have been 1999, it could have been nine -- I think that's what happened to this guy.
And they're saying -- now he was a convicted sex offender at that point, Jeffrey Epstein. You'd be surprised some of the people who are running around national heroes, who have had relations with underage girls. Rob Lowe is one of them. I don't hold anything -- Rob Lowe has an explanation, and the whole country heard it, all right? And actually, he didn't break the law because it was in Georgia. She was 16 years-old, which is younger than the girl that Epstein actually got convicted of having sex with who was 17. America is so crazy and weird and I'm sorry. And I'm sorry if I'm not, you know, pleasing people about this Epstein stuff, but I'm not going to get on board a witch hunt. And this is a witch hunt.