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

Bipartisan Demands for Testimony

The statement from Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, follows a British trade official, Chris Bryant, suggested that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should answer demands for information about his connections to 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 formal requests from overseas of this kind, I would anticipate any reasonable individual to honor that request,” Bryant said.

Khanna commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the investigative committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

Partisan Landscape and Investigation Developments

Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the oversight committee into how the government handled his prosecutions. Interest in the case surged in July, after the Department of Justice revealed 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 thus far resulted in the publication of thousands of documents – including an explicit sketch apparently made by 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 subpoena the former prince’s appearance. Representatives for the committee’s Republican chair, Chairman Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he thinks the ex-royal should be questioned.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but House Speaker 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 sign it.

“This is what my effort with Representative Massie has been about: openness and accountability 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 Representative-elect Grijalva, who was elected in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by Johnson. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and has stated he won’t instruct lawmakers to return to Washington until the Senate passes a measure to resolve the federal shutdown.