4 Takeaways From The Times’s Reporting on Howard Lutnick NYT | Top Stories By: Ana Swanson and Michael Rothfeld 28 May 2026 at 15:00 The New York Times examined the dealings of 818 companies controlled by the U.S. commerce secretary, documenting a history of bare-knuckle tactics that extended into his time in government. © Yuri Gripas for The New York TimesCommerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has boasted of using the power of the federal government to benefit taxpayers with aggressive deal making.