Minister urges Andrew to tell Congress what he knows about Epstein
Housing Secretary Steve Reed says anyone with information about a crime should ‘make themselves available’ after Andrew summoned to US Congress
Housing secretary Steve Reed is suggesting Andrew Mountbatten Windsor should go before US Congress to give evidence about his relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
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The minister said it woud be up to the former prince whether he attended, but said anyone who can help with investigations should try to “make themselves available”.
Democratic members of the House oversight committee, which investigates scandals and standards in the federal government, wrote a letter to Andrew on Thursday. The letter summoned him to testify over his connections with Epstein, although is not legally binding as Andrew is not a US citizen.
“Any individual who can help with a criminal investigation should make themselves available," said Mr Reed.
"In this case of course it is up to the former prince Andrew to take decisions for himself as a private individual, but people who can help with investigations should go ahead.”
Andrew is facing renewed scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein after Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir was published last month.
In the book, Giuffre, a victim of sex trafficking under Epstein’, detailed three sexual encounters she alleged she had with Andrew when she was 17 - claims Andrew has repeatedly denied.
Leaked emails from February 2011 also surfaced last month, with Andrew allegedly telling Epstein “we are in this together”.
The email was dated a day after the publication of a photograph of Andrew with his arm around Giuffre — then Virginia Roberts — alongside Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s girlfriend.
Maxwell has since been convicted of trafficking girls for him to abuse, and is currently being held in prison in Texas.
The email contradicted Andrew’s statement in an infamous interview with journalist Emily Maitlis, where he claimed he had ceased all contact with Epstein following pictures of the pair in New York's Central Park circulated from December 2010.
Andrew denies any wrongdoing but has since been stripped of his Duke of York title last month.
Mounting pressure to act saw the King later strip him of his prince title, as well as the designation His Royal Highness.
Buckingham Palace have also said he is to surrender the lease of Royal Lodge, his 30-room home in Windsor Great Park, and move into a private residence paid for by the King.
The House oversight committee issued an order to produce documents, known as a subpoena, to the Department of Justice for “all documents and communications relating or referring to” Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, in August.
Documents provided include flight logs from the Epstein estate, which name Andrew as a passenger on his private jet known as the 'Lolita Express'.
Other records suggested Epstein paid for massages for the then-prince, which has been said to raise some “serious questions”.
Signed by 14 Democrats, the letter to Andrew said they were seeking to “uncover the identities of Mr Epstein’s co-conspirators and enablers" and to develop their understanding of "the full extent of his criminal operations".
“Well-documented allegations against you, along with your longstanding friendship with Mr Epstein, indicate that you may possess knowledge of his activities relevant to our investigation.
“In the interest of justice for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, we request that you co-operate with the committee’s investigation by sitting for a transcribed interview with the committee.”