"Former Prince Andrew Under Fire for Ignoring Congressional Subpoena Amid Growing Pressure Over Epstein Ties"
Democratic lawmakers on the House oversight committee are slamming former British prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for his "silence" in response to their request for a deposition, citing the "serious questions" he must answer about his involvement with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The two Democrats, Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam, issued a statement Friday after setting a deadline for Andrew's response. They accused him of trying to "hide" from accountability despite the mounting evidence against him.
Garcia stated that their work will continue without Andrew, adding, "We will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors."
The committee has already obtained documents from Epstein's estate and testimony from abuse survivor Virginia Giuffre, raising concerns about the prince's involvement in the sex-trafficking charges.
However, Democrats face a challenge in compelling Andrew to testify due to their minority status on the committee, which lacks the power to issue subpoenas. The Republican chair James Comer has not commented on whether he would take such action against the former prince.
Critics argue that Andrew could avoid potential legal penalties by avoiding the United States if one were issued. This comes as a law passed by Donald Trump's administration aims to increase transparency around Epstein's case, but includes exemptions for sensitive information that could jeopardize investigations.
The justice department has turned over 33,000 documents in response to the committee's subpoena, including interview transcripts and court documents. However, many of these documents were already publicly available.
As the investigation continues, there are concerns about the president's motives behind his involvement with Epstein, who was a friend of Trump's during his presidency. The law passed by Congress includes provisions allowing the justice department to protect sensitive information, leading to accusations that President Trump is trying to shield himself and his allies from accountability.
Garcia has stated that "politically motivated investigations are not a legitimate justification for withholding or redacting records" under the new law, while also noting that the committee's subpoena should be able to share all relevant documents with lawmakers.
Democratic lawmakers on the House oversight committee are slamming former British prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for his "silence" in response to their request for a deposition, citing the "serious questions" he must answer about his involvement with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The two Democrats, Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam, issued a statement Friday after setting a deadline for Andrew's response. They accused him of trying to "hide" from accountability despite the mounting evidence against him.
Garcia stated that their work will continue without Andrew, adding, "We will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors."
The committee has already obtained documents from Epstein's estate and testimony from abuse survivor Virginia Giuffre, raising concerns about the prince's involvement in the sex-trafficking charges.
However, Democrats face a challenge in compelling Andrew to testify due to their minority status on the committee, which lacks the power to issue subpoenas. The Republican chair James Comer has not commented on whether he would take such action against the former prince.
Critics argue that Andrew could avoid potential legal penalties by avoiding the United States if one were issued. This comes as a law passed by Donald Trump's administration aims to increase transparency around Epstein's case, but includes exemptions for sensitive information that could jeopardize investigations.
The justice department has turned over 33,000 documents in response to the committee's subpoena, including interview transcripts and court documents. However, many of these documents were already publicly available.
As the investigation continues, there are concerns about the president's motives behind his involvement with Epstein, who was a friend of Trump's during his presidency. The law passed by Congress includes provisions allowing the justice department to protect sensitive information, leading to accusations that President Trump is trying to shield himself and his allies from accountability.
Garcia has stated that "politically motivated investigations are not a legitimate justification for withholding or redacting records" under the new law, while also noting that the committee's subpoena should be able to share all relevant documents with lawmakers.