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A Democratic Party representative has publicly called for the ex-royal Andrew Windsor to testify before the House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an inquiry into the government’s handling of the Epstein case.

Bipartisan Pressure for Testimony

The statement from Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who is a member of the investigative House oversight committee, follows a British trade official, Chris Bryant, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal status, he should answer demands for information about his connections to Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who died by suicide 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 expect any reasonable individual to honor that request,” Bryant said.

The congressman stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the investigative committee. The people have a right to know who was abusing women and young girls with Epstein.”

Political Environment and Probe Progress

Republicans hold the majority in the House, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the House committee into how the government handled his prosecutions. Interest in the case flared in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s associates did not exist, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The House investigation has thus far resulted in the release of tens of thousands of pages – including a lewd drawing reportedly drawn by Donald Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.

Legislative Efforts and Obstacles

As a member of the minority, Khanna lacks the authority to subpoena the former prince’s appearance. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he thinks the ex-royal should be questioned.

Khanna and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to mandate the disclosure of Epstein-related documents, but Mike Johnson, a top ally of the president, has blocked a vote on it. The two congressmen have distributed a petition that will require the bill be voted on, if 218 members of the House sign it.

“This is what my campaign with Representative Massie has been about: openness and justice for the victims who have been bravely sharing their stories,” the lawmaker said.

The appeal has been signed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four Republicans. The final required signature is expected to be Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by the Speaker. However, the speaker has refused to do so until the House reconvenes, and has stated he won’t instruct lawmakers to return to Washington until the Senate approves a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.