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A Democratic congressman has publicly called for the former prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to testify before the US House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an inquiry into the official handling of the Epstein case.

Cross-Party Pressure for Evidence

The declaration from Congressman Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a British trade official, Chris Bryant, suggested that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal status, he should respond to requests for details 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 regular citizen, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would anticipate any decently minded person to honor that request,” Bryant said.

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

Political Environment and Probe Progress

GOP members 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 government handled his legal proceedings. Public interest surged in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s associates was non-existent, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The House investigation has thus far resulted in the release of tens of thousands of pages – including an explicit sketch apparently made by Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.

Legal Efforts and Challenges

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

Khanna and Republican Congressman Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but Mike Johnson, a top ally of the president, has blocked a vote on it. 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 survivors who have been bravely sharing their stories,” the lawmaker said.

The appeal has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, 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 swearing in by the Speaker. 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 come back to the capital until the Senate approves a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.