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A Democratic congressman has demanded the former prince Andrew Windsor to testify before the US House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an inquiry 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 is a member of the 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 dealings with Jeffrey 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 comply with that request,” Bryant 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 alongside Epstein.”

Partisan 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 authorities managed his prosecutions. Public interest flared in July, after the justice department announced that a much-rumored 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 publication of tens of thousands of pages – including a lewd drawing apparently made by Donald Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.

Legislative Efforts and Obstacles

As a member of the minority, Khanna lacks the authority to compel Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Spokespeople for the Republican committee chairman, Chairman Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he thinks the former prince should be interviewed.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, 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: openness and accountability for the victims who have been bravely sharing their stories,” Khanna said.

The petition has been endorsed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four GOP members. The 218th signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by Johnson. However, the speaker has refused to do so until the House reconvenes, and has stated he won’t instruct lawmakers to come back to the capital until the Senate passes a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.