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A Democratic congressman has demanded the former prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to testify before the House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an investigation into the official handling of the Epstein case.

Bipartisan Demands for Testimony

The declaration from Congressman Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who serves on the House oversight committee, follows a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, indicated that since Mountbatten Windsor has been stripped of his royal titles, he should answer demands for information about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who took his own life while in federal 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 comply with that request,” the minister said.

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

Political Environment and Probe Progress

Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives, but following public pressure over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein matter approved an inquiry by the House committee into how the government handled his legal proceedings. Interest in the case surged in July, after the justice department revealed that a much-rumored list of Epstein’s associates was non-existent, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The House investigation has so far led to the publication of thousands of documents – including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Donald Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.

Legislative Efforts and Obstacles

As a minority party member, the representative lacks the authority to subpoena Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, Chairman Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he thinks the former prince should be interviewed.

The Democrat and Republican Congressman Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but Mike Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has blocked a vote on it. The two congressmen have distributed a petition that will force a vote on the bill, if a majority of representatives sign it.

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

The appeal has been signed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four Republicans. The final required signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and has stated he won’t instruct lawmakers to come back to the capital until the Senate passes a measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.