US Lawmaker Calls On Ex-Royal Andrew to Provide Testimony in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry

A Democratic Party representative has demanded the former prince Andrew Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives committee that is carrying out an investigation into the official handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Cross-Party Demands for Testimony

The declaration from Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative who is a member of the House oversight committee, follows 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 connections to 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 requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would expect any decently minded person to comply with that request,” Bryant said.

Khanna stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the investigative committee. The people have a right to know who was exploiting women and minors with Epstein.”

Political Landscape and Probe Developments

Republicans control the majority in the House, but following public pressure over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the House committee into how the government handled his prosecutions. Interest in the case surged in July, after the justice department revealed that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients did not exist, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The House investigation has so far led to the release of thousands of documents – including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as sworn statements from former top government officials.

Legal Efforts and Obstacles

As a member of the minority, Khanna does not have the power to compel Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Spokespeople for the committee’s Republican chair, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he believes the former prince should be interviewed.

Khanna and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of Epstein-related documents, but Mike Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has refused to bring it up for a vote. Massie and Khanna have circulated a discharge petition that will force a vote on the bill, 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 bravely sharing their stories,” the lawmaker said.

The petition has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The final required signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect Grijalva, who was elected in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by Johnson. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House comes back into session, and has stated he won’t instruct representatives to come back to the capital until the Senate approves a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.