🔗 Share this article

A Democratic Party congressman has demanded the ex-royal Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives investigative panel that is carrying out an investigation into the official handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Bipartisan Pressure for Testimony

The declaration from Congressman Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who is a member of the House oversight committee, follows a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal status, he should answer demands for information about his connections to Epstein, an alleged sex trafficker who took his own life while in federal custody six years ago.

“Just as with any regular citizen, if there were formal requests from overseas of this kind, I would anticipate any reasonable individual to comply with that request,” Bryant said.

The congressman commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the investigative committee. The people have a right to know who was exploiting women and minors with Epstein.”

Political Landscape and Investigation Progress

GOP members control the majority in the House, but following public pressure over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the oversight committee into how the authorities managed his prosecutions. Interest in the case surged in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a much-rumored list of Epstein’s associates did not exist, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The congressional probe has thus far resulted in the release of thousands of documents – including an explicit sketch apparently made by Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as sworn statements from ex-government leaders.

Legislative Efforts and Challenges

As a member of the minority, Khanna lacks the authority to subpoena the former prince’s appearance. Spokespeople for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he believes the former prince should be questioned.

Khanna and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but Mike Johnson, a top ally of the president, has refused to bring it up for a vote. Massie and Khanna have circulated a discharge petition that will require the bill be voted on, if a majority of representatives sign it.

“This is what my effort with Representative Massie has been about: transparency and justice for the survivors who have been bravely sharing their stories,” the lawmaker said.

The appeal has been signed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four Republicans. The 218th signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by the Speaker. 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.