Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has backed away from a previous claim that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein blackmailed people. That's according to transcript released Wednesday of an interview with the House Oversight Committee. The release of case files on Epstein had contradicted claims Lutnick made on a podcast last year. Under scrutiny from lawmakers last week, Lutnick said he was only “speculating.” Lutnick was once a neighbor of Epstein's in New York City. He said his personal interactions with Epstein years later were “meaningless and inconsequential.” Lutnick is the highest-ranked current administration official, besides President Donald Trump, to be named in the Epstein case files.