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A Democratic congressman has publicly called for the ex-royal 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.

Cross-Party Demands for Evidence

The statement from Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who is a member of the investigative House oversight committee, follows a British trade official, Chris Bryant, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should respond to requests for details about his dealings with Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who took his own life 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,” the minister said.

The congressman commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls with Epstein.”

Partisan Environment and Investigation Progress

Republicans control the majority in the House, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein matter authorized an investigation by the House committee into how the government handled his legal proceedings. Public interest flared in July, after the Department of Justice revealed that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients was non-existent, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The congressional probe has thus far resulted in the release of tens of thousands of pages – including a lewd drawing reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.

Legal Actions and Obstacles

As a minority party member, Khanna lacks the authority to subpoena Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the committee’s Republican chair, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he thinks the ex-royal 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 blocked a vote on it. The two congressmen have circulated a discharge petition that will require the bill be voted on, if 218 members of the House endorse it.

“This is what my campaign with Representative Massie has been about: transparency and justice for the victims who have been courageously speaking out,” the lawmaker said.

The appeal has been endorsed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The 218th signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by Johnson. However, the House leader has refused to do so 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.