Andrew must testify before Congress, US lawmakers say after House votes to release Epstein files
Both Democrats and Republican called for a "reckoning" in the United States while insisting the disgraced royal appear before them
By Ella Bennett and Chay Quinn
American lawmakers have again demanded Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor testify before them - after the US House of Representatives voted to release all files related to dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Loading audio...
After the House voted 427-1 on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Bill's author Representative Thomas Massie told reporters that "there's becoming a reckoning in Britain that needs to happen in the United States.
"A prince lost his title, the ambassador to the United States lost his job. We need to see those same kind of consequences here," he said.
The co-author of the Bill echoed Massie's sentiments.
On the steps of Congress, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said: "I do think that [former] Prince Andrew does need to come and testify at our oversight committee, and that can be bipartisan."
She added: "I share [Massie's] view that the urgency that the British people have shown in getting justice needs to inspire an urgency here in America".
Read More: Donald Trump shouts 'quiet piggy' at female reporter during Epstein questioning on Air Force One
Read More: Donald Trump defends Saudi Crown Prince over Khashoggi killing, claiming MBS 'knew nothing'
The fight to make the so-called Epstein Files public has been overshadowing the Trump administration for months.
Several high-profile Republicans broke with Trump in demanding all materials be made public before the President backed the release on Friday.
While the measure passed the House, it now needs to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate.
It has been reported that Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been asked by House Speaker Mike Johnson to rewrite the legislation in the upper house.
Should amendments be brought forward, the changes would see the bill have to return to the House and delaying the Bill.
Even if it does pass in the Senate, it remains unclear when the files could be released, despite President Trump indicating he would sign it as it is written.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer previously indicated he will push Republicans to move "immediately" on the Epstein bill if it passes through the House of Representatives.
"The American people have waited long enough and they want to see what's in it," he said.
Earlier, survivors of Epstein spoke at a news conference at the US Capitol.
Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene hit out at former ally President Trump and repeated her call for all Epstein files to be released.
Speaking before the vote, the firebrand Congresswoman wrote on X: "Today’s vote to finally force the release of the Epstein files is a major victory for the survivors who’ve waited decades for the truth.
"I stood with them this morning, the survivors who told the FBI, told law enforcement, begged for help, and were ignored.
"This vote should’ve been easy. Instead, the original four — Massie, Mace, Boebert, and myself — had to fight through months of intimidation just to get the discharge petition to 218 signatures.
"Americans are done being lied to. These survivors deserve full transparency. Every document, every truth, every name. And if those names reach me, I will read them on the House floor."
President Trump changed his position on the release of the files last week, directing House Republicans to vote in favour of the motion.
This came directly after it became clear that several of his own party would vote to release the documents.
In a shift of tone, Trump also announced he was directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate former President Bill Clinton for his ties to Epstein.
Trump appeared to try to deflect scrutiny over Epstein's crimes to Democrats alleged to have been close to the dead paedophile.
On Friday, he wrote on Truth Social: "Now that the Democrats are using the Epstein Hoax involving Democrats, not Republicans, to try and deflect from their disastrous SHUTDOWN, and all of their other failures, I will be asking A.G. Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him.
"This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats."
إرسال تعليق