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

Cross-Party Pressure for Evidence

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, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should respond to requests for details about his dealings with Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who took his own life 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 anticipate any decently minded person to comply with that request,” the minister said.

Khanna commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the investigative committee. The people have a right to know who was abusing women and young girls with Epstein.”

Political Landscape and Probe Developments

GOP members control the majority in the House of Representatives, but following public pressure over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein matter approved an inquiry by the House committee into how the authorities managed his legal proceedings. Public interest flared in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s associates did not exist, and it would provide no additional information on the case.

The House investigation has so far led to the publication of thousands of documents – including a lewd drawing apparently made by Donald Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.

Legal Efforts and Challenges

As a minority party member, Khanna does not have the power 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 former prince should be interviewed.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but Mike Johnson, a top ally of the president, has refused to bring it up for a vote. Massie and Khanna have distributed a petition that will require the bill be voted on, if a majority of representatives endorse it.

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

The appeal has been endorsed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The final required signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by the Speaker. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and has stated he won’t instruct lawmakers to come back to the capital until the Senate approves a measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.