🔗 Share this article

A Democratic representative has demanded the ex-royal Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to testify before the US House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an inquiry into the official handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Cross-Party Pressure for Evidence

The declaration 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 the former prince has been stripped of his royal status, he should answer demands for information about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, an alleged sex trafficker who died by suicide while in government custody six years ago.

“Just as with any regular citizen, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would anticipate any decently minded person to honor that request,” the minister said.

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

Political Landscape and Probe Developments

GOP members control the majority in the House of Representatives, but amid public outcry over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein matter approved an inquiry by the oversight committee into how the government handled his legal proceedings. Public interest flared in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients was non-existent, and it would provide no additional information on the case.

The congressional probe has so far led to the publication of thousands of documents – including a lewd drawing apparently made by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as sworn statements from former top government officials.

Legislative Efforts and Challenges

As a minority party member, the representative lacks the authority to subpoena the former prince’s appearance. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, Chairman Comer, declined to comment about whether he believes the ex-royal should be interviewed.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of Epstein-related documents, 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 require the bill be voted on, if a majority of representatives endorse it.

“This is what my campaign with Representative Massie has been about: openness and accountability 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 Republicans. 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 the Speaker. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and has stated he won’t instruct lawmakers to return to Washington until the Senate approves a measure to resolve the federal shutdown.