Heads roll in Europe over Epstein files while US justice declines to act

The arrest of former Prince Andrew in the UK has fueled intense criticism of the U.S. Justice Department’s failure to prosecute any American associates of Jeffrey Epstein beyond Ghislaine Maxwell.

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, has highlighted a stark disparity in accountability between Europe and the United States regarding the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. While the UK police apprehended the former royal on February 19, 2026, on suspicion of misconduct in public office allegedly sharing sensitive government reports with the late financier prosecutions in the U.S. remain stalled with only Ghislaine Maxwell convicted to date.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche recently stated that a review of millions of newly released “Epstein files” yielded “nothing in there that allowed us to prosecute anybody,” a claim that has drawn fierce bipartisan criticism from lawmakers like Representative Nancy Mace, who argued that “the UK has officially done more to prosecute Epstein predators than our own government.” Critics, including Senator Ruben Gallego, have accused the Trump administration of a “government coverup,” while public trust continues to erode; a recent poll found that 69 percent of Americans believe the case proves that “powerful people in the US are rarely held accountable for their actions.” Despite the political firestorm and high-profile resignations from figures like Larry Summers and Kathryn Ruemmler, President Trump has sidestepped questions about future arrests, calling the former prince’s detention a “very sad thing” while maintaining he has been personally “totally exonerated.”

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