“I am the British whistleblower who reported evidence concerning Howard Lutnick, his links to Jeffrey Epstein, and Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC to the FBI in 2020–21. The personal consequences of whistleblowing, and the retaliation I say followed, have been devastating for my family and me… Follow me here on X and on LinkedIn. I intend to share more of the evidence and the story behind what happened.”

That was the last online message sent by Simon Andriesz before authorities say he committed suicide at his home in England. Andriesz had been employed by the Cantor Fitzgerald Group. A company spearheaded by our current Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Lutnick, you’ll recall, had previously testified that he stopped associating with Epstein after he visited Epstein’s apartment and saw a massage table in his living room. He testified that when he asked about it, he heard the disgraced financier make an inappropriate comment. He claimed that it disgusted him to the point that he never spoke to Epstein again.

Well, evidently in the Epstein files there were multiple references to a man whose initials were HKL. Andriesz tipped off the Justice Department that those initials stood for Howard K. Lutnick. After that revelation, HLK had to admit that he associated with Epstein numerous times after that visit, where he said he was so appalled. His continued association with Epstein included a trip with his wife and kids to visit him on his island.

There was a time when a scandal like that would have been the end of Lutnick’s political career. Instead, he remains our Commerce Secretary and a powerful political player.

There was a time when a story about this suicide would have been the lead story on the evening news. I’m guessing you’re just learning about it now.

On a less scurrilous issue, but also concerning, is the fact that Lutnick is shaping our nation’s cryptocurrency policies. Cantor Fitzgerald, the firm he used to head up, holds billions of dollars in digital assets.

Can you say conflict of interest?

What has happened to America? Did our values change, or has it always been like this and I was just naïve? Has the digital age made information like this more available yet desensitized us to the point that we stop caring?

Vice President J.D. Vance made a comment that if Watergate happened today, it would be a news story for about 12 hours and not enough to end his presidency.

I can’t say I disagree with the V.P.

There are at least three reasons why it wouldn’t be able to get to the point of taking down the leader of the free world.

1. Cutbacks in newsrooms, even in major operations like the Washington Post, most likely wouldn’t dedicate the time or resources it would need to get to the bottom of the story.
2. Even if they did get to the bottom of it, distrust in the media and our shortened attention spans are such that we’d be distracted by something else the next day.
3. We don’t have politicians who have the balls to call out bad and illegal behavior from the president if he’s the leader of their party.

Before his reported suicide, Andriesz claimed he had more to tell. I’m not big on conspiracies, but does that make sense to you? Does it make sense that he decided to silence himself after claiming he had so much more to say?

Without the evidence to prove otherwise, I believed that Epstein really did kill himself. This latest death makes me a little less sure.

If a Democrat president had made the comments about Iran bombing L.A. or San Diego, I’m sure that Senator Ricketts, Governor Pillen, and all the commentators on Fox News and Newsmax would have condemned him for it.

And rightfully so.

Wrong is wrong even when it’s your guy doing it.

If the Democrats have the big day they’re expected to have next month, I hope that they won’t fall into the same behavior.

Because if America continues to abandon its fundamental foundation of integrity and respect for the rule of law, the country we love will be committing suicide as well.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.