Donald Trump breaks silence on Andrew Mountbatten Windsor arrest

Donald Trump addressed the arrest of the former Prince on suspicion of misconduct in public office on a flight from Washington to Georgia on Air Force One

View Image

Donald Trump has broken his silence on the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

He told reporters on Air Force One on his way to Georgia: “I think it’s a shame. I think it’s very sad. I think it’s so bad for the royal family. It’s very, very sad. To me, it’s a very sad thing.”

He added that King Charles is a fantastic person “who’s obviously coming to our country very soon.”

The former Prince’s arrest has prompted US politicians to call for Trump to be “held accountable” over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

“If a Prince can be held accountable,” said Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat member of the House of Representatives, “so can a President.”

Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

The former Prince was arrested this morning on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

His arrest today follows years of allegations over his links with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019. The accusation at the heart of his arrest is that Mountbatten-Windsor, who was previously known as Prince Andrew until October when his brother stripped him of his titles and honors, shared confidential trade information with the disgraced financier.

Democrat congressman Suhas Subramanyam, of the US House Oversight Committee, said in a statement that Thursday’s development shows “there will be accountability even if you hide, regardless of how rich and powerful you are”.

Mr Subramanyam, alongside fellow democrat congressman Robert Garcia, previously accused Andrew of hiding after he failed to respond to a letter calling for him to answer questions about the Epstein scandal.

Andrew was taken into custody on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations made against the former prince after the release of millions of pages of files related to paedophile financier Epstein.

In a statement, Mr Subramanyam said: “He (Andrew) appears repeatedly in the documents we have uncovered as having knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and is specifically named by victims as someone who engaged in wrongdoing.

“Yet he has continued to ignore our calls to cooperate with the Oversight Committee’s investigation.

“We hope today’s arrest will lead to answers and show that there will be accountability even if you hide, regardless of how rich and powerful you are.”

Yesterday, Les Wexner, a retail billionaire and prominent former friend of Epstein gave evidence to Congress.

He told members of the committee he had been “duped by a world-class conman” and defended knowing about the dead paedophile’s sex crimes.

“I was naive, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was a con man. And while I was conned, I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide,” the 88-year-old retired founder of L Brands said in a statement to the House Oversight and Reform Committee released before his interview.

The panel’s Democrats had subpoenaed him after the latest Justice Department release of Epstein-related documents revealed new details about Wexner’s relationship with the well-connected financier. Ranking member Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said Wexner “answered every question asked of him” during the 6-hour proceeding. A video and transcript are to released soon.

Wexner described himself to the lawmakers as a philanthropist, community builder and grandfather who always strove “to live my life in an ethical manner in line with my moral compass,” according to the statement. He said he was eager “to set the record straight” about his ties with Epstein. Their relationship ended bitterly in 2007, after the Wexners discovered he’d been stealing from them.

As one of Epstein’s most prominent former friends, Wexner has spent years answering for their decades-long association and he sought to use the proceeding to dispel what he called “outrageous untrue statements and hurtful rumor, innuendo, and speculation” that have shadowed him.

Rep. Robert Garcia, a California Democrat who sat in on Wednesday’s interview, expressed skepticism in comments to reporters gathered near the proceeding.

“There is no single person that was more involved in providing Jeffrey Epstein with the financial support to commit his crimes than Les Wexner,” he said.

In response to allegations by the prominent late Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who claimed in court documents that Wexner was among men Epstein trafficked her to, Wexner testified to utter devotion to his wife of 33 years, Abigail. He said he’d never once been unfaithful “in any way, shape, or form. Never. Any suggestion to the contrary is absolutely and entirely false.”

Wexner’s name appears more than 1,000 times in the Epstein files, which does not imply guilt, and Wexner has never been charged with any crimes. His spokesperson said the number of mentions is not unexpected given their long-running ties.

Andrew has denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.