A Democratic Party representative has demanded the ex-royal Andrew Windsor to testify before the House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an investigation into the government’s handling of the Epstein case.
Cross-Party Pressure for Testimony
The statement from Congressman Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a British trade official, Chris Bryant, suggested that since Mountbatten Windsor has been stripped of his royal titles, he should respond to requests for details about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, an alleged 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 decently minded person to honor that request,” the minister said.
The congressman stated: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The people have a right to know who was exploiting women and minors with Epstein.”
Political Landscape and Investigation Developments
Republicans hold the majority in the House, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the oversight committee into how the government handled his prosecutions. Interest in the case surged in July, after the Department of Justice announced that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s associates was non-existent, and it would share nothing further on the case.
The House investigation has so far led to the publication of tens of thousands of pages – including a lewd drawing apparently made by Donald Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.
Legal Efforts and Obstacles
As a minority party member, the representative lacks the authority to subpoena the former prince’s appearance. Spokespeople for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he believes the former prince should be questioned.
The Democrat and Republican Congressman Massie have introduced a bill to force the release of files related to Epstein, but House Speaker 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 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 Republicans. The final required signature is anticipated to come from Representative-elect 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 come back to the capital until the Senate passes a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.
