Nobel economist rips Trump officials as 'stupid grifters'

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged having lunch with Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction for sex crimes, despite previously denying any association, with Senator Chris Van Hollen stating that Lutnick "misrepresented the extent of" his relationship with Epstein.
Nobel economist Paul Krugman slammed Lutnick as a prime example of "stupid, amoral grifters" in the Trump administration, citing his involvement in two alleged conspiracies, including a money laundering case and ties to Epstein, with Krugman stating that Lutnick "sits at the intersection of not one, but at least two ugly conspiracies".
Krugman argues that Lutnick's actions, including his lies about his relationship with Epstein, would have led to his immediate departure in any previous administration, but instead, he remains in power, carrying out "sinister schemes in broad daylight", as quoted in Krugman's Substack column, where he emphasizes that "there are no evil masterminds behind this, only amoral, stupid grifters like Howard Lutnick".