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

Cross-Party Demands for Testimony

The statement from Congressman Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who serves on the House oversight committee, comes after a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, suggested that since Mountbatten Windsor has been stripped of his royal status, he should respond to requests for details about his connections to 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 formal requests from overseas of this kind, I would expect any decently minded person to comply with that request,” Bryant said.

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

Partisan Environment and Investigation Developments

GOP members 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 House committee into how the government handled his prosecutions. Interest in the case surged in July, after the Department of Justice revealed that a much-rumored list of Epstein’s associates was non-existent, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The congressional probe has so far led to the release of thousands of documents – including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Donald Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as sworn statements from ex-government leaders.

Legal Actions and Challenges

As a member of the minority, the representative lacks the authority to subpoena 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 questioned.

Khanna and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but House Speaker Johnson, a top ally of the president, has refused to bring it up for a vote. The two congressmen have circulated a discharge petition that will force a vote on the bill, if a majority of representatives endorse it.

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

The petition has been endorsed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four Republicans. The final required signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by the Speaker. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House comes back into session, and has stated he won’t instruct lawmakers to return to Washington until the Senate passes a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.