A senior US congressman has publicly stated that Prince Andrew is actively avoiding a formal request from a government committee to answer questions regarding his connections to the convicted paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein.
The Congressional Demand
Representative Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee, told The Guardian that the former Duke of York has been "hiding from us". The committee dispatched a formal letter to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor ten days ago, signed by 16 members of Congress, demanding that he sit for a "transcribed interview".
This letter gives the former prince a deadline of this Thursday to respond. Mr Subramanyam expressed his belief that Andrew will continue to evade scrutiny, adding, "It seems like every time we find more evidence, prince Andrew seems to be in the documents." He warned that ignoring the committee would be a futile strategy, vowing to pursue the matter "over the next year and beyond".
Wider Political Pressure and Document Release
The pressure is mounting beyond the committee's direct request. US President Donald Trump has surprisingly reversed his previous stance, now urging House Republicans to vote in favour of releasing all files related to the Epstein case. On Sunday, he took to social media to state, "We have nothing to hide", characterising the investigation as a "Democrat Hoax".
There is a broader, bipartisan push for transparency. Democrats and some Republicans are advocating for a measure that would compel the US Justice Department to make public a trove of documents. This could include all files and communications concerning Epstein, as well as information surrounding the official investigation into his 2019 suicide in prison.
Allegations and Andrew's Position
The House Oversight Committee's investigation focuses on Epstein and the government's handling of his case. Their letter to Andrew highlights specific concerns, noting they have identified "financial records containing notations such as 'massage for Andrew'" which raise serious questions. They are calling on him to disclose everything he knew about the sex trafficker's activities.
This development comes just weeks after Andrew was stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles. He continues to strenuously deny any wrongdoing. The situation was exacerbated ahead of the publication of memoirs by the late Virginia Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager—an accusation he denies.
Further damaging allegations have emerged in the press, including claims that Andrew attempted to get the Metropolitan Police to unearth information for a smear campaign against Ms Giuffre. The force has confirmed it is looking into reports that, in 2011, he passed her date of birth and social security number to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard and asked him to investigate.
