A US congressman has accused former Prince Andrew of committing sex crimes in the United States during an incendiary address in Congress.
Thomas Massie named Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor among a list of 14 alleged co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein.
Republican Thomas Massie has long been a thorn in the side of US President Donald Trump. AP
“We want perpetrators of these crimes to be investigated and prosecuted,” Massie said.
Massie named a series of wealthy or high-profile individuals as “perpetrators”.
“And Prince Andrew, who committed sex crimes in the United States,” Massie said.
Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing in relation to his friendship with Epstein, and has not been criminally charged with any sex crimes.
Nine.com.au is not claiming Mountbatten-Windsor or any of the other people named are guilty of these crimes, only that they have been named by Massie.
Like in Australia, US representatives are protected from libel or defamation laws when speaking in the chambers of Congress.
Also named are several wealthy businessmen, some of whom are well-known to have been connected to Epstein but are now dead, as well as a world-famous magician.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles. AP
Yesterday Massie launched a discharge petition to force a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act II.
Massie has argued that countless documents in the Epstein files that should have been released have instead remained secret.
The congressman said in a tweet that there were rumours Speaker Mike Johnson would recess the House until after the midterm elections to avoid the vote.
Massie, a deeply conservative Republican, lost his primary election for the next term in Congress after Donald Trump endorsed his opponent.
As a consequence, Massie will remain in Congress until January before leaving office.
Another Republican who lost her primary after pushing for the release of the Epstein files, Nancy Mace, has already signed the new discharge petition.
Donald Trump and future wife Melania, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club, in 2000. Getty
Massie has also been willing to take swipes at Trump on other issues, sarcastically remarking on the president’s latest Truth Social post on data centres.
“The only reason that communities throughout the USA should not want Data Centres is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump wrote.
“If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.”
Massie posted a screenshot of Trump’s post on X captioned: “New directive from the leader: MAGA is required to support all Data Centres, no questions asked.”
Data centres have become a hot button issue in the midterm elections, with both Democrats and Republicans seeking to leverage opposition to the infrastructure to their benefit.
“Let’s put a data centre in each one of Donald Trump’s golf courses,” firebrand Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said.
“The only reason I don’t say put one on the White House lawn is because he’ll be out of there soon. If he loves them so much, he can have them.”
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).