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From: To: Cc: CRM)" (CRM)" Subject: FW: Independent: Prince Andrew: Refusal to talk to Epstein investigators 'straining relations between UK and America' Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2021 08:02:40 +0000 Inline-Images: image001.png You guys have a moment for a brief call this morning? The Ambassador is concerned about the attached story, and I wanted to see if you have any sense of where this is coming from. Is this coming from victims' counsel? Anyone in your shop decided to push this? The quote from the State Department yesterday in the NY Times was unhelpful (and I let them know it - I think it came from someone spouting off on the European Desk). I also had the following email from the UKCA yesterday: We are aware tha . Please can you let us know what impact this has on the material witness's current status, as a witness, in the criminal investigation and in relation to the MLA request. I think they are asking whether, in light of the recent allegations, of a witness (in British parlance). I was going to respond with one wor check first. ■is now a suspect instead none" but thought I should I am around today whenever you can chat. The earlier the better because the Amb is keen to sort this out. Thanks, U.S. Department of Justice Attaché - London 44/ United States Embassy 33 Nine Elms Lane London SW11 7US Desk: 020 7891 3710 EFTA00065837 From this morning's Independent Fears issue over Duke of York could affect wider efforts to collaborate on high-profile legal cases. US authorities are growing increasingly frustrated with Prince Andrew's failure to cooperate into their probe into the network surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, exacerbating tensions between Washington and London, The Independent understands. People familiar with authorities' investigations into Mr Epstein's business affairs told The Independent that the lack of information-sharing had caused diplomatic strain, with US law enforcement and diplomats raising the matter with their British counterparts. They said a new civil case brought by alleging the Duke of York had sexually abused her, will add further strain over the issue, along with the prosecution of Esptein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is set to go on trial for sex trafficking charges later this year. There are fears that the issue could sour broader efforts to collaborate on high profile legal cases. The prince has consistently denied the allegations, while Ms Maxwell denies the charges against her. The lack of cooperation now spans three years of reported attempts by the US authorities to gather facts from the royal who, in a statement from 2019, said he would be willing to help US law-enforcement with investigations. However, in January last year, Manhattan US attorney Geoffrey Berman said the country's authorities had received "zero cooperation" from the prince, who no longer carries out royal duties. In June 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported that an application had been made by the Department of Justice (Dal) under a US-UK mutual legal assistance treaty in order to win cooperation from the Duke of York. This avenue has not been effective, according to sources. They contend that Prince Andrew has failed to share details of the extent of his ties to Mr Epstein, whose death in a Manhattan prison in 2019 was ruled a suicide. The extent and nature of Mr Epstein's financial network is still being explored in several jurisdictions, including the US. Of particular interest to the US authorities is how money transfers may be linked to the movement of young women and girls. The various interested bodies, including the FBI, believe these may offer insights into ongoing organised criminal operations. These probes are significant not only for legal proceedings related to Epstein, but also to ongoing investigations surrounding Ms Maxwell, who is currently in prison awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. It is also alleged that multiple authorities are seeking details of flights that the Duke of York used to visit Epstein in a range of locations, so that they can better understand how people may have travelled into and out of the disgraced financier's orbit. The authorities' interests are understood to include multiple trips by the royal to Epstein's Caribbean island, Little St James, as well as Florida and New York. Last year, prosecutors in the US Virgin Islands, which includes Little St James, alleged Mr Epstein abused hundreds of young women and girls up until 2018. EFTA00065838 The frustration over the Duke of York's lack of cooperation is said to be amplified by the fact that it appears unlikely that the royal would be extradited. His cooperation would therefore be a matter of bolstering diplomatic relations and sharing any information which could help avoid future trafficking of young women and girls. The lawyer representing Ms has accused the prince, who is facing the Queen after arriving at Balmoral on Tuesday, of "stonewalling" appeals for information after the 15-page lawsuit was filed in New York. The prince is the only defendant in the suit, which alleges she was "lent out for sexual purposes" by Epstein. David Boies said his client ultimately wanted "vindication" from the legal action. In 2019, Prince Andrew told the BBC that he had not had sex with = "It didn't happen," he said. He also said that he had no recollection of having met her. EFTA00065839