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A Democratic congressman has publicly called for the former prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to appear before the House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an investigation into the official handling of the Epstein case.

Bipartisan Demands for Evidence

The statement from Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the House oversight committee, follows 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 requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would expect any reasonable individual to comply with that request,” Bryant said.

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

Political Landscape and Probe Progress

GOP members hold the majority in the House of Representatives, but amid public outcry over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the House committee into how the government handled his prosecutions. Interest in the case surged in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s associates did not exist, and it would provide no additional information on the case.

The congressional probe 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 ex-government leaders.

Legal Actions and Challenges

As a minority party member, the representative lacks the authority to compel Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, declined to comment about whether he believes the ex-royal should be interviewed.

Khanna and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to force the release of Epstein-related documents, but Mike Johnson, a top ally of the president, has refused to bring it up for a vote. 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 Congressman Massie has been about: openness and justice for the survivors who have been courageously speaking out,” the lawmaker said.

The petition 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 Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by the Speaker. However, the House leader has refused to do so until the House reconvenes, and says he will not tell lawmakers to return to Washington until the Senate passes a measure to resolve the federal shutdown.