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

Bipartisan Demands for Testimony

The declaration from Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative who is a member of the investigative House oversight committee, follows a UK trade minister, 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 accused sex trafficker who died by suicide while in federal custody six years ago.

“Just as with any regular citizen, 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 oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was exploiting women and minors 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 matter authorized an investigation by the oversight committee into how the government handled his legal proceedings. Public interest flared in July, after the justice department announced that a much-rumored list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients was non-existent, 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 an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Donald Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.

Legal Actions and Challenges

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

Khanna and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to force the release of files related to Epstein, but House Speaker 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 218 members of the House endorse it.

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

The petition has been signed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four GOP members. The 218th signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect Grijalva, who was elected in Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by the Speaker. However, the House leader has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and says he will not tell representatives to come back to the capital until the Senate approves a measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.