Breaking: FBI Caught Scrubbing Trump’s Name as Cabinet Secretary Admits to Going to Epstein’s Island

Summary

The Parnas Perspective:
Episode: “Breaking: FBI Caught Scrubbing Trump’s Name as Cabinet Secretary Admits to Going to Epstein’s Island”
Host: Aaron Parnas
Date: February 10, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode tackles two explosive political scandals:

1. The revelation that Howard Lutnick, a current Trump cabinet secretary, lied for years about his contact with Jeffrey Epstein, admitting under oath for the first time to visiting Epstein’s private island.
2. New evidence—shared and dissected with Congressman Ro Khanna—alleges the FBI “scrubbed” and heavily redacted files about Epstein’s network, potentially to protect powerful people, including Donald Trump.

The episode features direct testimony, highlights from the Capitol Hill hearing, and an in-depth interview with Rep. Ro Khanna, offering both breaking news and a behind-the-scenes look at ongoing political efforts to force transparency.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Howard Lutnick’s Stunning Admission (00:00 – 05:25)

• Initial Denial vs. Admission:
  Howard Lutnick previously insisted he would never again be in the same room as Epstein after a 2005 encounter, declaring Epstein too “disgusting” to even associate with.

• Capitol Hill Testimony Excerpt:
  Lutnick, under oath, confirms for the first time that he not only met Epstein again, but did so on Epstein’s private island in 2012, accompanied by his family and another couple.

  “I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation...we had lunch on the island, that is true. For an hour. And we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife, all together.” — Howard Lutnick [01:07]

• Parnas’ Framing:
  Parnas clarifies that no one accused Lutnick of criminal activity, but underscores the deception:

  “The question was, why would Howard Lutnick tell the public before these files were released that he had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein after 2005...only to find out seven years later, he's having lunch on Jeffrey Epstein's private island?” — Aaron Parnas [02:12]

• Describing the 2005 Encounter:
  Lutnick recounts the infamous “massage table” episode, claiming it led to his vow never to see Epstein again:

  “He opens the doors, and there’s a massage table in the middle of the room and candles all around...He, like, gets weirdly close to me...and says, ‘and the right kind of massage.’...In the six or eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house, my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again.” — Lutnick [03:43–04:34]

2. Congressman Ro Khanna on Epstein Files, Redactions, and Cover-up (06:26 – 14:45)

• Extent of Redactions:
  Khanna reveals 70% of FBI files on Epstein remain redacted, despite the passage of the Epstein Transparency Act.

  “They basically scrubbed these FBI files in March, and they provided the scrubbed files to the Department of Justice. 70% of it is still redacted.” — Rep. Ro Khanna [06:30]

• Names Newly Uncovered:
  Through two hours of viewing unredacted files, Khanna and Rep. Massie pushed for naming six previously protected individuals—among them Leslie Wexner and a Dubai sultan.

  “Massie and I, in two hours, discovered six men whose identities were protected, and we called them out on it, and now they’ve released the names...There are probably dozens of other men like that who are protected, who need to be released.” — Khanna [06:56]

• FBI’s Scrubbing and Trump’s Role:
  Khanna alleges that at Trump’s direction (March 2025), the FBI intentionally scrubbed sensitive names—potentially including Trump himself—from the files.

  “You may remember in March of 2025, Donald Trump basically ordered the FBI to scrub these files...And in some cases, those additional redactions actually shielded people who were criminal.” — Khanna [07:25]

• Justice Department Response and Legal Concerns:
  The DoJ essentially received already-scrubbed documents, with further selective redactions supposedly to protect victims but in reality often shielding powerful perpetrators.

  “They got them from the FBI redacted...That is a violation of the law. I wrote it with Massie. We say that the FBI files have to be unredacted and they need to—Bondi needs to go and unredact those files.” — Khanna [08:44]

• Contradicting Trump’s Statements:
  Representative Jamie Raskin claims unredacted files undermine Trump’s story that he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago; Khanna says he hasn’t directly seen those documents but agrees “the most sensitive stuff” remains hidden.

  “My guess is there’s stuff about Trump that has been redacted. My guess is there’s stuff that is the most sensitive that has been redacted...what I’m not gonna do is unredact all the FBI files. That needs to be the demand.” — Khanna [08:32, 10:05]

• Implications for the Powerful:
  Released files have already caused turmoil in global elites—implicating business tycoons, royalty, and politicians.

  “This is causing enormous embarrassment and may topple the British government. The Norwegian princess may not become queen. The British monarchy is in turmoil...It’s implicated people in Silicon Valley and New York.” — Khanna [10:24]

3. The Call for Accountability and Further Release (11:14 – 14:45)

• Upcoming Testimony:
  Leslie Wexner—a billionaire with notorious ties to Epstein—is newly named and set to testify before the Oversight Committee.

  “He is set to testify in front of your committee...What do you expect to hear from him?” — Parnas [11:17] “I expect he’ll plead the Fifth, but what I want is investigation and prosecution of people like Wexner. I mean, first of all, why was his name hidden?” — Khanna [11:27]

• Logistics of Review:
  Khanna and Parnas discuss the impossibility of thoroughly reviewing millions of documents, and the necessity for legal mandates rather than piecemeal Congressional oversight.

  “Members of Congress aren’t supposed to go do document review with 3 million documents...My job isn’t to verify that they’re complying...It’s kind of sad that Massey and I are having to police Attorney General Bondi...” — Khanna [12:38]

• Broader Critique & Demand for Consequences:
  Khanna demands accountability for both the cover-up and for Lutnick’s deception.

  “The fundamental problem, like I’ve said, is that they scrub these files...They made a deliberate decision in March to scrub these files...There were reports that they’re scrubbing the files of Trump’s names. But my guess is they were protecting not just Donald Trump, they were protecting all the rich and powerful people.” — Khanna [13:36] “The one point I do want to make is we’ve got to call for Lutnick to go. I mean, I don’t understand it.” — Khanna [13:42]

• Potential Political Fallout:
  As more details emerge, Khanna argues, Lutnick’s continued presence in government becomes untenable, and sympathy for cover-up evaporates.

  “My sense is at least the cabinet person here should be held accountable and fired. And I do think as this scandal continues to get legs, Trump is going to realize that someone like Lutnick is just not plausible to stay in the government.” — Khanna [14:32]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He opens the doors, and there’s a massage table in the middle of the room and candles all around...and says, ‘and the right kind of massage.’…my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again.”
  — Howard Lutnick, describing his initial break with Epstein [03:43–04:34]

• “70% of it is still redacted...Massie and I, in two hours, discovered six men whose identities were protected, and we called them out on it…”
  — Rep. Ro Khanna on the extent of the FBI’s censorship and recent forced disclosures [06:30–06:56]

• “There were reports that they’re scrubbing the files of Trump’s names. But my guess is they were protecting not just Donald Trump, they were protecting all of the rich and powerful people. Part of this Epstein class.”
  — Rep. Ro Khanna [13:36]

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Key Timestamps

• 00:00 – Aaron Parnas introduces Lutnick’s contradiction and the importance of the released Epstein files
• 00:58 – Lutnick testifies under oath to lunch on Epstein’s island
• 02:33 – Lutnick recounts the 2005 “massage table” meeting
• 05:25 – Parnas presses Lutnick’s inconsistency and public deception
• 06:26 – Rep. Ro Khanna discusses the redacted files and survivors’ testimony
• 07:23 – FBI’s scrubbing under Trump’s direction, DOJ’s role
• 08:44 – Legal obligations for full disclosure and accountability for Bondi
• 09:36 – Contradictions between unredacted files and Trump’s statements
• 10:15 – The impact of new disclosures on governments and elites
• 11:27 – Wexner’s exposure and expectation of fifth amendment plea
• 12:28 – The challenge and limitations of document review
• 13:36 – Khanna on deliberate “scrubbing” and the Epstein class
• 14:13 – Calls for Lutnick’s resignation and political consequences

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Summary

This episode of The Parnas Perspective exposes deep fissures of deception and cover-up at the intersection of government, the justice system, and the world’s most powerful elites. Hearing Howard Lutnick’s own two-faced testimony, and listening to Rep. Khanna’s detailed breakdown of the FBI’s systematic censorship and institution-protecting practices, listeners are left with a clear mandate: demand full transparency, accountability, and justice no matter how uncomfortable the truth may be for those at the very top.

Transcript

[A]

In 2005, Howard Lutnick claimed that Jeffrey Epstein was such a disgusting human being that he would never step foot in the same room as him ever again. Today, Howard Lutnick confirmed under oath under the penalty of perjury that not only did he step foot in the same room as Jeffrey Epstein again, but he went to Jeffrey Epstein's island and had lunch with Jeffrey Epstein. The only reason that this information has been revealed today. Well, was because the Epstein files were released. And because we found them. Because we found them. And today I spoke with Congressman Ro Khanna, who has reviewed the unredacted files, and he has some very, very important information. People need to know about this. Make sure to, like, comment, share and subscribe. The more you like, the more people see it. And subscribe to my substack. Click the link below to support my work. Let's jump right into it. Howard Lutnick this morning on Capitol Hill confirmed for the very first time that he visited Jeffrey Epstein's island and had lunch with Jeffrey Epstein. Take a listen.

[B]

I think you understand the root of concern here. It's the way you described very emphatically your first encounter with him in his apartment said you were disgusted, would never have any contact with him again. Did you, in fact, make the visit to Jeffrey Epstein's private island? I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple with. They were there as well, with their children. And we had lunch on the island, that is true. For an hour. And we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife, all together. We were on family vacation. We were not apart to suggest there was anything untoward about that in 2012. I don't. I don't recall why we did it.

[C]

But, Mr. Secretary, again, I. As I said there.

[A]

I mean, here's the thing. No one ever suggested that there was something untoward. No one suggested that Howard Lutnick engage in any criminal activity alongside Jeffrey Epstein. That was never the suggestion. The question was, why would Howard Lutnick tell the public before these files were released that he had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein after 2005 because he was so disgusted only to find out seven years later, he's having lunch on Jeffrey Epstein's private island? Take a listen to what Lutnick had to say about that 2005 interaction. Your neighbor for 10 years.

[B]

How well did you know him? All right, so we are in number 11. And he lives in number nine.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So we renovate, we buy our house. And our house is pigeons and mice.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Okay. That's. It was derelict. Right. So we build, we rebuild our house. We move in in 2005. Okay. Jeffrey Epstein is arrested in, like, 08, I think something.

[C]

Right, right.

[B]

So knock on the door. His assistant on, like a Saturday, says, Mr. Epstein, your neighbor would like to invite you over for coffee. So my wife and I go next door. You know, we walk the seven steps. Yes, right. To the next house for. For coffee. We share a wall. Right, right. So it's in New York City. So he invites us in, we have coffee in this, and he says, do you want a tour? He said, great. Interesting. Really big house.

[A]

Every room you went in, he's got.

[B]

He's got it. Well, I'll tell you. So his house is, like super big, really wide. And so he gives me a tour in the living room. Big living room. And then across from it is double doors. I assume it's the dining room.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And he opens the doors, and there's a massage table in the middle of the room and candles all around and stuff. So I ask very insightful, cutting questions. I say to him, massage table in the middle of your house. How often you have a massage? And he says, every day. And then he, like, gets, like, weirdly close to me. Oh. And he says, and the right kind of massage. Now, my wife is standing here. So she looks at me and I look at her and we say, I'm sorry, we have to go. And we left. And in the six or eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house, my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again. So I was never in the room with him socially for business or even philanthropy. If that guy was there, I wasn't.

[A]

Going in his six or eight steps. He was never stepped foot in the same room as Jeffrey Epstein socially. Never stepped foot in the same room as Jeffrey Epstein socially. Is that right? Howard Letnick.

[B]

I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple with. With. They were there as well, with their children. And we had lunch on the island. That is true. For an hour. And we left with all for an.

[A]

Hour lunch on the island. Seven years after Howard Lutnick told claimed that he was so disgusted by Jeffrey Epstein, he never stepped foot in a room with him again. They're lying to us. Members of Trump's cabinet, these People, these powerful people are lying in these interviews. Howard Lutnick wasn't under oath when he spoke to that New York Post reporter, but he lied. It wasn't until the files were released did we know that he lied. Just tell the truth, Howard Lutnick. Why lie? I asked Congressman Ro Khanna about this today. He's reviewed the unredacted files. Here's what he had to say. But before I get there, make sure to like, comment, share, and subscribe. My interview with Congressman Ro Khanna. Super excited to be to be joined by Congressman Ro Khanna today again. Now, Congressman, you have been on the forefront in getting the truth out about these files. You saw some of the files unredacted. What can you tell us based on what you've seen so far in the unredacted files?

[C]

The unredacted files are redacted files. They basically scrubbed these FBI files in March, and they provided the scrubbed files to the Department of Justice. 70% of it is still redacted. And what we need to do is unscrub those files that have the three of two statements where survivors have named names. Now, there are some of the files that were unredacted that we got to see. Massie and I, in two hours, discovered six men whose identities were protected, and we called them out on it, and now they've released the names of those six men, including Leslie Wexner and one of the powerful sultans in Dubai. There's. There are probably other. Dozens of other men like that who are protected, who need to be released. But the big issue that we need to call for is to unredact those FBI files. We already have seen so much of the Epstein class implicated. My guess is that the most powerful stuff is in those files.

[A]

So who has those files? The FBI has those files.

[C]

The FBI has those files. And you may remember in March of 2025, Donald Trump basically ordered the FBI to scrub these files, and. And they scrubbed them. There were thousands of people going through these files. And so when we got to Justice, I said, you know, the original version, the unredacted version, still has the same redactions. And the guy said to me, bro, that's how we got the files. We just uploaded them. And in some cases, they went through and did additional redactions when it mattered of protecting survivors. And in some cases, those additional redactions actually shielded people who were criminal. But the reality is they got them from the FBI redacted.

[A]

Well, I guess my question is, back in February of last year, Pam Bondi sparked a lot of conversation. She ordered Kash Patel to get all of the files on her desk immediately, is what you're telling me, that. I guess she didn't really care whether or not they were redacted or not. I mean, does Pam Bondi even know what's in these files?

[C]

Exactly. I mean, they basically, when she said, oh, I want to get all these files, you remember all the reporting. Yeah, but the FBI agents are going through them. That's when they redacted all of it. Now, my guess is there's stuff about Trump that has been redacted. My guess is there's stuff that is the most sensitive that has been redacted. And so then they didn't anticipate we would have an Epstein Transparency Act. Suddenly they said, oh, no, we got to comply with the law. What do we do? Well, they got some of the grand jury testimony, they got some of Epstein's emails. And that's why we have as much as we know already, and that's why it's implicated so many of the rich and powerful. But the most sensitive stuff, the thing that is really goes for the jugular, is in those FBI files. And they said, well, they've already been scrubbed. So here we go. We'll send them to justice. They can do a review. But they're already scrubbed files, and that is a violation of the law. I wrote. I wrote it with Massey. We say that the FBI files have to be unredacted and they need to. Bondi needs to go and unredact those files.

[A]

Well, I have to ask you, another part of the. Jamie Raskin yesterday publicly said that part of the redact, or rather unredacted files contradict Donald Trump's prior statements, suggesting that he. That he kicked Epstein out of Mar a Lago. Did you see that document as well?

[C]

I did not see that document. I saw Jamie's statement. I mean, we kind of did. Divided and conquered. So I called Jamie before we went because we all had a couple hours. And so I focused more on some of the emails that were going to Epstein with horrific content, and I focused on the coconspirators. And Massey and I in our time found six co conspirators whose identities were protected that we forced the release of. And we also discovered that there are a number of horrific emails where people's names have been protected.

[A]

Why do you think Todd Blanche so quickly unredacted files after you called him out?

[C]

Well, it's such a blatant violation of the law, and I think that what Blanche is trying to do is play a very sophisticated game. He's basically saying, look, I'm going to give you stuff. And they have given us stuff, right? I mean, 50% of the files are released. This is caused enormous embarrassment and may topple the British government. The Norwegian princess may not become queen. The British monarchy is in turmoil there. It's implicated people in Silicon Valley and New York. He said, look, I'm giving you stuff and I'm trying to comply. And in something very blatant, like a identity protected, that Massey and I are saying that he knows we have the soapbox and television. I'm going to try to do the right thing. But what he is not answering, including in a direct tweet that Adam is, is why are these FBI files redacted in the first place? And he's hoping that that's too complex for people to grasp. And so what he's saying is, okay, if you find some guy in there, I'll expose him. But what I'm not gonna do is unredact all the FBI files. That needs to be the demand.

[A]

I do wanna ask you about Les Wexner, because that is the name of a co conspirator that was revealed overnight. He is set to testify in front of your committee, the Oversight Committee, in the next week. What do you expect to hear from him? Do you expect him to plead the Fifth like Elaine Maxwell did this week?

[C]

I expect he'll plead the Fifth, but what I want is investigation and prosecution of people like Wexner. I mean, first of all, why was his name hidden? That is a enormous issue. And I would want to know from Wexner who the other co conspirators were, who the other people were on this island, who raped these underage girls. And as you see from the six names Massey and I forced the release of, one of them is a powerful sultan in Dubai. Others are foreign nationals. This was a global network. It was not just Americans. And some of the people who raped these girls actually have left America because they don't want to be part of under the prosecution arm of the doj.

[A]

Before I let you go, I do want to ask you about the logistics of viewing these documents. Because 3 million documents, two hours at a time in a small room, going one by one. I mean, I've been through about 100,000. I mean, it takes a long many months, over a year for any one person to get through 3 million documents. What does that look like? I mean, like, how do we ensure that we can actually get through all of the documents that are released.

[C]

Well, you've done an incredible job, Aaron. I mean, you're as adept at getting these documents and finding things as anyone, and more adept than most of us in Congress. But what we did is we have Bates numbers for the documents. We type that Bates number in and the document comes up and so we can see some of the documents that we had studied. And the problem is, you know, members of Congress aren't supposed to go do document review with 3 million documents. We're supposed to pass the law that requires things. My job isn't to verify that they're passing the law, that they're complying with the law. And it's kind of sad that Massey and I are having to police Attorney General Bondi in saying, look, you're not complying and here's the evidence. And then they're saying, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're not complying. Okay, we'll release them. I mean, you can't have 435 members of Congress going through and finding all the names. And the fundamental problem, like I've said, is that they scrub these files and they there it's not negligence. They made a deliberate decision in March to scrub these files. And there were reports that they're scrubbing the files of Trump's names. But my guess is they were protecting not just Donald Trump, they were protecting all of the rich and powerful people. Part of this Epstein class. The one point I do want to make is we've got to call for Lutnick to go. I mean, I don't understand it.

[A]

Ye.

[C]

How, how he's still in, in office.

[A]

Well, I guess another question for you on that front. Lutnick today testified, confirmed that he did go to Epstein's island in 2012, that he had lunch with Epstein for an hour. You're calling for him to resign. I guess my question is, is there any Republican appetite to do the same? Because he did lie. He said he in 2005, never again. He was so disgusted. And then seven years later, he's on Epstein's Island.

[C]

Well, not only is he on Epstein's island, the allegations are that he is doing business with Epstein, that he's in some business venture with Epstein and he's lying about it. Massey has called for him to go. I believe there'll be others calling for him to go. But you know, if Mendelsohn is taking down the entire British government, my sense is at least the cabinet person here should be held accountable and fired. And I do think as this scandal continues to get legs, Trump is going to realize that someone like Lutnick is just not plausible to stay in the government.

[A]

Congressman, thanks so much for taking the time today.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

Hey folks, thanks so much for watching. Feel free to add this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you watch for the latest breaking news and daily hits throughout the day. Make sure to follow subscribe. See you soon for more.