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A Democratic representative has publicly called for the ex-royal Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to testify before the House of Representatives committee that is carrying out an inquiry into the official handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Cross-Party Demands for Testimony

The declaration from Congressman Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the House oversight committee, follows a British trade official, Chris Bryant, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should respond to requests for details about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who took his own life while in government custody six years ago.

“Just as with any ordinary member of the public, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would anticipate any reasonable individual to honor that request,” Bryant said.

The congressman commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the investigative committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls with Epstein.”

Partisan Environment and Investigation Progress

GOP members control the majority in the House, but following public pressure over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein case approved an inquiry by the House committee into how the authorities managed his prosecutions. Public interest flared in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients did not exist, and it would provide no additional information on the case.

The congressional probe has thus far resulted in the publication of thousands of documents – including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.

Legal Efforts and Obstacles

As a member of the minority, the representative does not have the power to compel the former prince’s appearance. Representatives for the committee’s Republican chair, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he believes the former prince should be questioned.

Khanna and Republican Congressman Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of Epstein-related documents, but Mike Johnson, a top ally of the president, has blocked a vote on it. Massie and Khanna have circulated a discharge petition that will force a vote on the bill, if 218 members of the House sign it.

“This is what my campaign with Representative Massie has been about: transparency and justice for the survivors who have been courageously speaking out,” Khanna said.

The petition has been endorsed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four GOP members. The final required signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by the Speaker. However, the House leader has declined to act until the House comes back into session, and says he will not tell lawmakers to return to Washington until the Senate passes a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.