Commerce Secretary's Social Security Comments Were Misspoken, Says Congressman

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick misspoke when he commented about citizen reactions to the Trump administration's handling of Social Security -- at least, that’s what Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick seems to think.

Rich stopped by "TMZ Live" Monday and, while he’s giving Lutnick the benefit of the doubt, he thinks compassion is key when it comes to Social Security -- after all, it’s people’s own money coming back to them -- and they should never be denied their benefits.

Secretary Lutnick said on a podcast last week that anyone who complains about delayed or missing Social Security payments is a "fraudster." Lutnick, who is a billionaire, said his 94-year-old mother-in-law would not call to complain if she didn't get her check this month, and explicitly said "whoever screams is the one stealing."

ICYMI ... Elon Musk's DOGE squad has recently been challenged after trying to access sensitive information in the Social Security system in an attempt to root out fraud ... and a Trump admin official briefly suggested payments would be delayed or halted, provoking a political firestorm.

Rich McCormick breaks down his take to us, asserting there’s definitely some fraud in Social Security claims, but he makes it clear the average Joe shouldn’t be denied their hard-earned money.

With the backlash in full swing, Rich also dug into how President Trump has handled the situation -- and hammered home the real issue is saving the Social Security program.