US Congressman Urges Former Prince Andrew to Provide Testimony in Epstein Inquiry

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

Cross-Party Demands for Evidence

The declaration from Congressman Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who is a member of the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a British trade official, Chris Bryant, indicated that since Mountbatten Windsor has been stripped of his royal titles, he should answer demands for information about his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who took his own life while in federal 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 anticipate any reasonable individual to honor that request,” Bryant said.

The congressman commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the investigative committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

Partisan Landscape and Probe Developments

GOP members control the majority in the House of Representatives, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the House committee into how the authorities managed his legal proceedings. Interest in the case flared in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a much-rumored list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients did not exist, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The congressional probe has thus far resulted in the release of tens of thousands of pages – including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as sworn statements 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 committee’s Republican chair, James Comer, declined to comment about whether he thinks the ex-royal should be questioned.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to force the release 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 218 members of the House endorse it.

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

The appeal has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The final required signature is expected to be Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House comes back into session, and says he will not tell representatives to come back to the capital until the Senate approves a measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.