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A Democratic Party congressman has publicly called for the former prince Andrew Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives investigative panel that is carrying out an inquiry into the government’s handling of the Epstein case.

Cross-Party Pressure for Evidence

The declaration from Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California 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 titles, he should answer demands for information about his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, an alleged sex trafficker who took his own life while in government custody six years ago.

“Just as with any ordinary member of the public, if there were formal requests from overseas of this kind, I would expect any reasonable individual to comply with that request,” the minister said.

Khanna commented: “Andrew should be called to testify before the investigative committee. The public deserves to know who was exploiting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

Political Landscape and Investigation Developments

GOP members control the majority in the House, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein matter approved an inquiry by the House committee into how the government handled his legal proceedings. Interest in the case surged in July, after the Department of Justice revealed that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s associates was non-existent, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The congressional probe has thus far resulted in the publication of tens of thousands of pages – including a lewd drawing apparently made by Donald Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as sworn statements from ex-government leaders.

Legislative Actions and Challenges

As a member of the minority, the representative does not have the power to subpoena Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, Chairman Comer, declined to comment about whether he believes the ex-royal should be interviewed.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but House Speaker Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has blocked a vote on it. The two congressmen have distributed a petition that will force a vote on the bill, if a majority of representatives sign it.

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

The appeal has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four Republicans. The final required signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect Grijalva, who was elected in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration 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 passes a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.