🔗 Share this article

A Democratic representative has demanded the ex-royal 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 Epstein case.

Cross-Party Pressure for Testimony

The declaration from Congressman Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who serves on the investigative 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 Epstein, an accused 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 anticipate any reasonable individual to comply with that request,” the minister said.

Khanna commented: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The people have a right to know who was exploiting women and minors with Epstein.”

Political Landscape and Investigation Progress

GOP members hold the majority in the House, but amid public outcry over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein matter approved an inquiry by the House committee into how the government handled his prosecutions. Interest in the case surged in July, after the justice department 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 House investigation has thus far resulted in the publication of thousands of documents – including a lewd drawing reportedly drawn by Donald Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as sworn statements from ex-government leaders.

Legislative Efforts and Obstacles

As a member of the minority, Khanna lacks the authority to compel the former prince’s appearance. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, declined to comment about whether he thinks the former prince should be interviewed.

Khanna and Republican Congressman 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 circulated a discharge petition that will force a vote on the bill, if 218 members of the House endorse it.

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

The appeal has been endorsed by all 213 House Democrats, 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 inauguration by Johnson. However, the House leader has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and says he will not tell representatives to return to Washington until the Senate passes a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.