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A Democratic Party congressman has demanded the former prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an investigation into the government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Cross-Party Pressure for Testimony

The declaration from Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a British trade official, Chris Bryant, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should answer demands for information about his connections to Epstein, an alleged sex trafficker who died by suicide 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 comply with that request,” Bryant said.

Khanna stated: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was exploiting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

Partisan Landscape and Investigation Progress

Republicans control the majority in the House, but following public pressure over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the oversight committee into how the authorities managed his legal proceedings. Public interest flared in July, after the justice department announced that a much-rumored list of Epstein’s associates was non-existent, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The congressional probe has so far led to the release of tens of thousands of pages – including a lewd drawing reportedly drawn by Donald Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.

Legislative Actions and Obstacles

As a minority party member, Khanna does not have the power to subpoena the former prince’s appearance. Spokespeople for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he believes the ex-royal should be interviewed.

The Democrat and Republican Congressman Massie have proposed legislation to force the release of Epstein-related documents, but Mike Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has blocked a vote on it. Massie and Khanna have circulated a discharge petition that will require the bill be voted on, if a majority of representatives endorse it.

“This is what my campaign with Congressman Massie has been about: openness and accountability for the survivors 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 Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by the Speaker. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and has stated he won’t instruct representatives to return to Washington until the Senate passes a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.