US Congressman Urges Former Prince Andrew to Testify in Epstein Investigation
A Democratic Party congressman has demanded the ex-royal Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to testify before the House of Representatives committee that is carrying out an investigation into the government’s handling of the Epstein case.
Bipartisan Pressure for Evidence
The declaration from Congressman Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, follows a British trade official, Chris Bryant, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should respond to requests for details about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who took his own life while in government custody six years ago.
“Just as with any regular citizen, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would anticipate any reasonable individual to comply with that request,” the minister said.
Khanna commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls with Epstein.”
Political Environment and Investigation Progress
GOP members hold the majority in the House of Representatives, but following public pressure over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein matter approved an inquiry by the House committee into how the authorities managed his prosecutions. Interest in the case surged in July, after the justice department announced that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s associates was non-existent, and it would provide no additional information on the case.
The congressional probe has so far led to the publication of tens of thousands of pages – including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Donald Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.
Legislative Actions and Challenges
As a minority party member, the representative lacks the authority to subpoena Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the committee’s Republican chair, James Comer, declined to comment about whether he believes the ex-royal should be interviewed.
Khanna and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to mandate the disclosure of Epstein-related documents, but Mike Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has refused to bring it up for a vote. The two congressmen have circulated a discharge petition that will require the bill be voted on, if a majority of representatives endorse it.
“This is what my campaign with Representative Massie has been about: openness and accountability 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 218th signature is expected to be Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in 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 approves a measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.