A Democratic Party congressman has publicly called for the former prince Andrew Windsor to testify before the House of Representatives investigative panel that is carrying out an investigation into the government’s handling of the Epstein case.
The statement from Congressman Khanna, a California Democratic representative who is a member of the House oversight committee, comes after a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, suggested 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 requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would expect any reasonable individual to comply with that request,” Bryant said.
Khanna commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The people have a right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
Republicans control the majority in the House of Representatives, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein matter approved an inquiry by the oversight committee into how the government handled his legal proceedings. Public interest flared in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a much-rumored list of Epstein’s associates did not exist, and it would share nothing further 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 50th birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.
As a minority party member, the representative does not have the power to compel the former prince’s appearance. Spokespeople for the committee’s Republican chair, Chairman Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he thinks the former prince should be interviewed.
The Democrat and Republican Congressman Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but House Speaker Johnson, a top ally of the president, has refused to bring it up for a vote. Massie and Khanna 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 Congressman Massie has been about: transparency and accountability 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 Republicans. 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 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 measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.
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