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

Bipartisan Demands for Evidence

The statement from Congressman Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a British trade official, 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 alleged sex trafficker who took his own life 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 expect any decently minded person to honor that request,” Bryant said.

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

Political Environment and Probe Progress

Republicans hold the majority in the House, but amid public outcry over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the House committee into how the authorities managed his legal proceedings. Public interest flared in July, after the justice department revealed that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s associates was non-existent, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The congressional probe has thus far resulted in the publication of tens of thousands of pages – including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.

Legal Efforts and Challenges

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

The Democrat and Republican Congressman Massie have introduced a bill to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, 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 force a vote on the bill, if a majority of representatives sign it.

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

The appeal has been endorsed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four Republicans. The final required signature is anticipated to come from Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election 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 has stated he won’t instruct representatives to return to Washington until the Senate approves a measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.