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A Democratic representative has demanded the ex-royal Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to appear before the House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an investigation into the official handling of the Epstein case.

Cross-Party Demands for Evidence

The declaration from Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should respond to requests for details about his connections to Epstein, an alleged 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 decently minded person to honor that request,” Bryant said.

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

Political Environment and Investigation Developments

Republicans hold 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. Interest in the case flared 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 so far led to the release of tens of thousands of pages – including a lewd drawing apparently made by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as sworn statements from former top government officials.

Legal Actions and Challenges

As a minority party member, the representative does not have the power to subpoena the former prince’s appearance. Spokespeople for the Republican committee chairman, Chairman Comer, declined to comment about whether he believes the ex-royal should be interviewed.

Khanna and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to force the release of Epstein-related documents, but House Speaker Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has refused to bring it up for a vote. Massie and Khanna 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 campaign with Congressman Massie has been about: transparency and justice 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 Republicans. The 218th signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect Grijalva, who was elected in Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the speaker has refused to do so until the House comes back into session, and has stated he won’t instruct representatives to return to Washington until the Senate approves a measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.