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A Democratic congressman has demanded the former prince Andrew Windsor to testify before the US House of Representatives committee that is currently conducting an inquiry into the official handling of the Epstein case.

Bipartisan Demands for Evidence

The statement from Congressman Khanna, a California Democratic representative who is a member of the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, suggested that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal status, he should answer demands for information about his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, an accused 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 formal requests from overseas of this kind, I would anticipate any decently minded person to honor that request,” the minister said.

The congressman stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the investigative committee. The people have a right to know who was abusing women and young girls with Epstein.”

Political Landscape and Investigation Progress

Republicans control the majority in the House, but following public pressure over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the oversight committee into how the authorities managed his legal proceedings. Interest in the case surged in July, after the justice department announced that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients was non-existent, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The congressional probe has thus far resulted in the publication of tens of thousands of pages – including an explicit sketch apparently made by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as sworn statements from former top government officials.

Legislative Efforts and Obstacles

As a member of the minority, Khanna does not have the power to compel Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Spokespeople for the committee’s Republican chair, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he believes the former prince should be interviewed.

Khanna and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to force the release of Epstein-related documents, but House Speaker Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has refused to bring it up for a vote. The two congressmen have distributed a petition that will require the bill be voted on, if a majority of representatives sign it.

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

The appeal has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four Republicans. The final required signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by the Speaker. However, the speaker has refused to do so until the House reconvenes, and says he will not tell lawmakers to come back to the capital until the Senate approves a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.