A Republican lawmaker has called on U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to step down over his alleged links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, citing newly released court files as the saga over high-profile ties to disgraced financier deepens.

Representative Thomas Massie told broadcaster CNN in an interview published on Sunday that the documents suggest Lutnick visited Epstein's private Caribbean island and maintained business ties with him years after Epstein pleaded guilty to child prostitution charges in 2008.

"He's got a lot to answer for, but really, he should make life easier on (U.S. President Donald Trump), frankly, and just resign," Massie said.

Epstein, who ran a long-running sexual abuse operation involving young women and minors, died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting further prosecution. Lutnick is mentioned repeatedly in the recently unsealed Epstein files, though inclusion in the records does not in itself indicate wrongdoing.

U.S. media, citing emails contained in the documents, reported that Lutnick and his family planned a visit to Epstein's island, Little St. James, in 2012, with a follow-up message suggesting the trip may have taken place. The island has previously been described as the center of Epstein's abuse network.

According to The New York Times, Lutnick and Epstein, who were neighbors in New York, invested in the same private company, while CBS News said the two appeared to have business dealings after Epstein became a known sex offender.

Lutnick had said in a podcast last year that he decided in 2005 never to be in the same room again with Epstein, whom he called a "disgusting person."

The New York Times reported that Lutnick said in a brief phone call last week that he had spent "zero time" with Epstein.