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A Democratic congressman has demanded the former prince Andrew Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives committee that is carrying out an inquiry into the government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Bipartisan Pressure for Testimony

The statement from Congressman Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who is a member of the House oversight committee, follows a British trade official, Chris Bryant, suggested that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should respond to requests for details about his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, an alleged sex trafficker who died by suicide 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,” the minister said.

Khanna commented: “Andrew should be called to testify before the investigative committee. The public deserves to know who was exploiting women and minors with Epstein.”

Partisan Landscape and Investigation Progress

GOP members hold the majority in the House, but amid public outcry over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the House committee into how the authorities managed his legal proceedings. Public interest surged in July, after the justice department revealed that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s associates did not exist, and it would provide no additional information on the case.

The House investigation has so far led to the release of tens of thousands of pages – including a lewd drawing reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.

Legislative Efforts and Challenges

As a minority party member, the representative does not have the power to compel Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Spokespeople for the committee’s Republican chair, Chairman Comer, declined to comment about whether he thinks the ex-royal should be interviewed.

Khanna and Republican Congressman Massie have proposed legislation to force the release of files related to Epstein, 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 require the bill be voted on, if a majority of representatives endorse it.

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

The appeal has been endorsed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four Republicans. The 218th signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by Johnson. However, the House leader has refused to do so until the House comes back into session, and says he will not tell lawmakers to come back to the capital until the Senate approves a measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.