Rep. Ro Khanna wants King Charles III to address the victims of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal when he speaks to Congress this week — and to reconsider his decision not to meet with them.
The California Democrat said he was “disappointed” to learn that Charles did not plan to do so, but said he did have a “constructive” meeting with the British ambassador to the United States.
“I am hopeful that King Charles, when he speaks to the Congress, will acknowledge the Epstein survivors, will call for justice, will call for investigations and prosecutions,” he said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“It would be an enormous gesture if, when he’s speaking at the Congress, he does that. And I’m hopeful that he will,” Mr. Khanna said.
Charles himself has no direct relationship to Epstein or the deceased sex criminal’s offenses, but has a very high-profile indirect one.
His brother, the former Prince Andrew, was a regular visitor to Epstein’s island and settled a sex-assault lawsuit from an Epstein victim. He also was arrested in Britain on suspicion of Epstein-related insider trading.
Last October, Charles stripped Andrew of his “prince” title, reducing him to a commoner named Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, something that hadn’t been done to a member of the royal family for more than a century.
Mr. Khanna said he sent a letter to King Charles late last month to “respectfully ask that you privately meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse, so they may speak to you directly about the ways powerful individuals and institutions failed them.”
“Survivors want this meeting,” he said.
Mr. Khanna plans to keep the spotlight on the Epstein victims by holding a roundtable on Tuesday with Sky and Amanda Roberts, family members of Virginia Giuffre, Epstein survivor Sharlene Rochard, and leading advocacy organizations.
