🔗 Share this article

A Democratic representative has demanded the former prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an investigation into the government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Cross-Party Demands for Testimony

The statement from Congressman Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the House oversight committee, follows a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, suggested 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 died by suicide 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 called to testify before the oversight committee. The people have a right to know who was exploiting women and minors with Epstein.”

Partisan Landscape and Probe Developments

GOP members control the majority in the House, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein matter approved an inquiry by the oversight committee into how the authorities managed his prosecutions. Public interest flared in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients did not exist, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The congressional probe has thus far resulted in the publication of thousands of documents – including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.

Legislative Actions and Challenges

As a minority party member, Khanna does not have the power to subpoena Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, Chairman Comer, declined to comment about whether he thinks the former prince should be questioned.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to mandate the disclosure of Epstein-related documents, but House Speaker Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has refused to bring it up for a vote. Massie and Khanna have circulated a discharge petition that will require the bill be voted on, if a majority of representatives sign it.

“This is what my effort with Representative 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 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The 218th signature is expected to be Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by Johnson. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House comes back into session, and says he will not tell representatives to return to Washington until the Senate approves a measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.