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A Democratic Party congressman has publicly called for the ex-royal Andrew Windsor to testify before the House of Representatives investigative panel that is carrying out an inquiry into the government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Bipartisan Demands for Evidence

The declaration from Congressman Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a British trade official, Chris Bryant, indicated that since Mountbatten Windsor has been stripped of his royal status, he should answer demands for information about his connections to 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 expect any reasonable individual to honor that request,” Bryant said.

Khanna 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.”

Political 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 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 provide no additional information on the case.

The House investigation has so far led to the release of thousands of documents – including a lewd drawing reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as sworn statements from former top government officials.

Legislative Efforts and Challenges

As a member of the minority, the representative lacks the authority to subpoena the former prince’s appearance. Spokespeople for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, declined to comment about whether he believes the former prince should be interviewed.

Khanna and Republican Congressman Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of Epstein-related documents, but House Speaker Johnson, a top ally of the president, has refused to bring it up for a vote. 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 effort with Representative Massie has been about: openness and justice for the survivors who have been bravely sharing their stories,” Khanna said.

The appeal has been endorsed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four GOP members. The final required signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and says he will not tell representatives to come back to the capital until the Senate passes a measure to resolve the federal shutdown.