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A Democratic representative has publicly called for the former prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to appear before the House of Representatives committee that is carrying out an investigation into the government’s handling of the Epstein case.

Bipartisan Demands for Testimony

The statement from Congressman Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who is a member of the House oversight committee, comes after a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, indicated that since Mountbatten Windsor has been stripped of his royal status, he should respond to requests for details 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 regular citizen, if there were formal requests from overseas of this kind, I would anticipate any reasonable individual to comply with that request,” the minister said.

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

Partisan Landscape and Probe Developments

GOP members hold the majority in the House of Representatives, but following public pressure over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein case approved an inquiry by the House committee into how the government handled his prosecutions. Interest in the case flared 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 an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.

Legislative Actions and Challenges

As a member of the minority, Khanna lacks the authority to compel Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the committee’s Republican chair, Chairman Comer, declined to comment about whether he thinks the ex-royal should be interviewed.

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 blocked a vote on it. Massie and Khanna have distributed a petition that will force a vote on the bill, if a majority of representatives endorse it.

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

The appeal has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The 218th signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by the Speaker. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and says he will not tell lawmakers to come back to the capital until the Senate passes a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.