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A Democratic Party congressman 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 statement 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 respond to requests for details about his dealings with Epstein, an alleged sex trafficker who died by suicide while in federal custody six years ago.

“Just as with any regular citizen, if there were formal requests from overseas of this kind, I would expect any reasonable individual to comply with that request,” Bryant said.

The congressman stated: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The people have a right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

Political Environment and Probe Progress

Republicans control the majority in the House of Representatives, but following public pressure over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein case approved an inquiry by the oversight committee into how the authorities managed his prosecutions. Interest in the case flared in July, after the Department of Justice 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 congressional probe has thus far resulted in the publication of tens of thousands of pages – including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.

Legal Actions and Obstacles

As a minority party member, Khanna lacks the authority to subpoena Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the committee’s Republican chair, Chairman Comer, declined to comment about whether he believes the former prince should be interviewed.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to force the release of files related to Epstein, but House Speaker Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has blocked a vote on it. The two congressmen 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 Congressman Massie has been about: openness and justice for the victims who have been courageously speaking out,” the lawmaker said.

The petition has been endorsed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four GOP members. The final required signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the House leader has declined to act until the House comes back into session, and has stated he won’t instruct representatives to come back to the capital until the Senate passes a measure to resolve the federal shutdown.