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A Democratic congressman has demanded the former prince Andrew Windsor to testify before the House of Representatives committee that is currently conducting an inquiry into the official handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Cross-Party Demands for Testimony

The declaration from Congressman Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the House oversight committee, follows a British trade official, Chris Bryant, suggested that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should respond to requests for details about his connections to 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 stated: “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 Probe Progress

Republicans control the majority in the House of Representatives, but following public pressure over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein matter authorized an investigation by the House committee into how the authorities managed his legal proceedings. Public interest flared in July, after the justice department announced that a much-rumored list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients was non-existent, and it would provide no additional information on the case.

The congressional probe has so far led to the release of thousands of documents – including a lewd drawing apparently made by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as sworn statements from former top government officials.

Legislative Actions and Challenges

As a minority party member, Khanna does not have the power to compel the former prince’s appearance. Spokespeople for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, declined to comment about whether he believes the former prince should be interviewed.

Khanna and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to force the release of Epstein-related documents, but Mike Johnson, a top ally of the president, has refused to bring it up for a vote. The two congressmen have distributed a petition that will require the bill be voted on, if 218 members of the House endorse it.

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

The appeal has been endorsed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four Republicans. The 218th signature is anticipated to come from Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by the Speaker. However, the House leader has refused to do so until the House comes back into session, and says he will not tell lawmakers to return to Washington until the Senate passes a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.