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A Democratic congressman has demanded the ex-royal Andrew Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives committee that is currently conducting an inquiry into the government’s handling of the Epstein case.

Cross-Party Demands for Testimony

The declaration from Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative who is a member of the House oversight committee, comes after a British trade official, Chris Bryant, suggested 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 took his own life while in federal custody six years ago.

“Just as with any regular citizen, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would expect any decently minded person to comply with that request,” the minister said.

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

Political Landscape and Investigation Progress

GOP members hold the majority in the House, 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 surged in July, after the Department of Justice revealed that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients was non-existent, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The House investigation has so far led to the release of thousands of documents – including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Donald Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as sworn statements from former top government officials.

Legislative Actions and Obstacles

As a minority party member, the representative lacks the authority to compel Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Spokespeople for the committee’s Republican chair, Chairman Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he believes the ex-royal should be questioned.

Khanna and Republican Congressman Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but Mike Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has blocked a vote on it. Massie and Khanna have distributed a petition that will require the bill be voted on, if 218 members of the House endorse it.

“This is what my campaign with Representative Massie has been about: openness and justice for the victims who have been courageously speaking out,” Khanna said.

The petition has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The final required signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the House leader has refused to do so until the House reconvenes, and says he will not tell representatives to come back to the capital until the Senate approves a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.