Two Democratic lawmakers have criticised the Duke of York for failing to respond to a request to give evidence in the US congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam said Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's 'silence speaks volumes' after a deadline passed for him to reply.
In a statement on Friday, the lawmakers said documents obtained by the committee, along with testimony from abuse survivor Virginia Giuffre, 'raise serious questions' that the former prince 'must answer, yet he continues to hide'. They added: 'Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable.'
Democrats on the investigative committee have limited options to compel the Duke to testify. As the minority party, they cannot issue subpoenas, and the Republican chair, James Comer, has not commented on whether he would take such a step. Even if a subpoena were issued, the Duke – who has strongly denied wrongdoing – could avoid legal penalties by not travelling to the US.
The lawmakers' statement came days after President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the attorney general to release documents related to the government's handling of the case within 30 days. Critics have accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of being a Trump loyalist and using her powers to protect the president.
In a letter to Bondi on Friday, Garcia warned against 'politically motivated investigations' being used to withhold records under the new law. He also noted that the committee was awaiting a response to a subpoena issued in August for documents related to Epstein, which he said could be shared in full with lawmakers.
