U.S. Lawmakers Call for Legal Action Against Epstein Associates Following Arrest of ... - People.com

U.S. Lawmakers Call for Legal Action Against Epstein Associates Following Arrest of Ex-Prince Andrew One Epstein survivor called the former prince's arrest "just the beginning of accountability and justice" By Paloma Chavez Paloma Chavez Paloma Chavez is a staff writer on PEOPLE's current events team. Before joining PEOPLE, she worked for McClatchy's real-time team covering breaking news, crime, and internet culture. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 20, 2026 05:42PM EST 2 Comments Credit : Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty; Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty NEED TO KNOW Former prince Andrew's Thursday, Feb. 19 arrest has led U.S. lawmakers to call for legal action to be taken against Jeffrey Epstein's U.S. associatesShortly after the arrest, President Donald Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One, calling the situation "a shame"The former Duke of York was arrested on charges of suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his correspondence with Epstein The arrest of the former Prince Andrew has prompted U.S. lawmakers to call for legal action against Jeffrey Epstein’s American associates. The former prince’s Thursday, Feb. 19, arrest comes amid suspicion of misconduct in public office in the UK and prompted calls from American lawmakers and Epstein survivors to hold others linked to the late convicted sex offender accountable. Andrew — who now goes by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after being stripped of his royal titles — has previously been accused of sexual assault against Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. That case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, and Giuffre died by suicide on April 24, 2025. However, Andrew's recent arrest stems from allegations that he sent confidential information to Epstein during his time as a UK trade envoy. He has not been charged and continues to deny any wrongdoing. The former Duke of York was detained for around 11 hours and released under investigation. The following day, police continued their search of his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park. Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now! In response to the arrest, Giuffre's brother, Skye Roberts, said, “The reality is the UK is doing far more. I think that the king can hold his head high when he comes here saying: ‘I am doing the most that I can …’ While here in the United States, our president has yet to even do even remotely the same. And survivors and the people are very disappointed in that.” President Donald Trump was asked by reporters on Air Force One on Thursday if American associates of Epstein could face similar consequences. Documents and photographs from the trove of evidence feature famous names and faces like Bill Clinton, Woody Allen, Bill Gates, Kevin Spacey, Elon Musk and Trump himself, none of whom have been officially accused of any wrongdoing. Trump, 79, avoided the question about possible prosecution for other Epstein associates, simply calling Andrew's arrest "a shame” and “very sad.” “I’m the expert in a way, because I’ve been totally exonerated, so I can speak about it," the president boasted. "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. " Related Stories Trump Says He's Been 'Totally Exonerated' When Asked if Epstein Files Could Lead to More Arrests Like Ex-Prince Andrew Ex-Prince Andrew Investigation Widens as His Protection Officers Are Asked What They 'Saw or Heard' The same day, Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, who co-sponsored the legislation to force the Department of Justice to release millions of files related to Epstein, took to X to call out Pam Bondi, the U.S. Attorney General and Kash Patel the director of the FBI. “Prince Andrew was just arrested. This was the metric I established for success of the Epstein Files Transparency Act that @RepRoKhanna and I got passed. Now we need JUSTICE in the United States. It’s time for @AGPamBondi and @FBIDirectorKash to act!,” he wrote. Robert Garcia, the ranking member of the House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee, made a similar statement, saying, “Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest is an enormous step forward in our fight to secure justice for the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s horrific crimes … Now it’s the time for the United States to end this White House cover-up. President Trump and his Epstein administration are not above the law.” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Epstein survivors also praised the British police for the arrest and marked it as “just the beginning of accountability." Maria Farmer, who was the first known survivor to report Epstein, said, “Today is just the beginning of accountability and justice brought forth by Virginia Roberts Giuffre – a young mother who adored her daughter so deeply, she fought the most powerful on earth to protect her … Let’s now demand all the dominos of power and corruption begin to fall.” Another survivor, Marijke Chartouni, agreed with Farmer, saying, “If only the US Justice Department acted as decisively. It took British police less than three weeks from the release of the latest tranche of Epstein files to arrest Andrew, making Pam Bondi and Kash Patel look increasingly inept.” Close Leave a Comment Read more: Politics