Nov 28, 2019

British police defend decision not to investigate Prince Andrew

Orion Rummler

Prince Andrew in Bangkok on Nov. 3, 2019. Photo: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images

London's Metropolitan Police says it did not have the "appropriate authority" to investigate a 2015 claim from one of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers that she had sex with Prince Andrew while allegedly trafficked by Epstein, AP reports.

Driving the news: The force concluded in 2016 that it "was the wrong agency to investigate," London's Metropolitan Police Commander Alex Murray said on Thursday. Andrew stepped away from his royal duties last week, following a BBC interview in which he defended his friendship with Epstein.

  • 10 companies cut ties with the duke's business mentoring initiative in the wake of the interview, after which he lost public support by "not expressing sympathy for Epstein’s many young female victims," per AP.

What they're saying: Andrew has denied ever having a sexual relationship with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who says she was 17 when she first had sex with the duke in 2001.

Go deeper: What we know: The life and death of Jeffrey Epstein

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Jacob Knutson

Prince Andrew steps down from royal duties "for foreseeable future"

Prince Andrew. Photo: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/ via Getty Images

Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, announced Wednesday in a statement that Queen Elizabeth gave him permission to step away from his royal duties, saying "circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein [have] become a major disruption to my family's work."

The big picture: The move comes as the duke has faced growing backlash after a recent BBC interview in which he answered questions for the first time about his friendship with Epstein. He also denied ever having a sexual relationship with one of Epstein’s accusers, as she has claimed.

Go deeperArrowNov 20, 2019
Jacob Knutson

Two prison guards on duty during Jeffrey Epstein's death charged

The Manhattan Correctional Center where the Jeffrey Epstein was found dead. Photo: Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Two federal prison guards, who were on duty at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in mid-August when financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead, were charged on Tuesday in connection with their alleged failure to properly check on Epstein as ordered.

Why it matters: These are the first charges to emerge from a criminal inquiry into Epstein's death, which has prompted investigations and the removal of the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Go deeperArrowNov 19, 2019
Marisa Fernandez

Barr: Jeffrey Epstein's death was a "perfect storm of screw-ups"

Attorney General William Barr. Photo: Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Attorney General Bill Bar concluded Jeffrey Epstein's death was the result of "a perfect storm of screw-ups" during an interview with the AP.

The big picture: The death of the convicted sex offender in one of the most secure jails in America has sparked criminal charges against the guards monitoring him, controversy and even conspiracy theories, given Epstein's links to powerful people around the globe. Barr acknowledged as much in the interview, saying that he "can understand people who immediately — whose minds went to sort of the worst-case scenario."

Go deeper: What we know: The life and death of Jeffrey Epstein

Keep ReadingArrowNov 22, 2019