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A Democratic Party congressman has demanded the former prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives investigative panel that is currently conducting an investigation into the government’s handling of the Epstein case.

Cross-Party Pressure for Evidence

The declaration from Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a British trade official, Chris Bryant, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should answer demands for information about his connections to Epstein, an alleged sex trafficker who died by suicide while in federal 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 honor that request,” the minister said.

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

Partisan Landscape and Investigation Developments

Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives, but amid public outcry over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the oversight committee into how the authorities managed his prosecutions. Interest in the case flared in July, after the justice department announced that a much-rumored list of Epstein’s associates did not exist, and it would share nothing further on the case.

The House investigation has thus far resulted in the release of tens of thousands of pages – including an explicit sketch apparently made by Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as depositions from ex-government leaders.

Legal Efforts and Obstacles

As a minority party member, the representative does not have the power to subpoena Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the committee’s Republican chair, Chairman Comer, declined to comment about whether he thinks the ex-royal should be questioned.

The Democrat and Republican Congressman Massie have introduced a bill to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but Mike Johnson, a top ally of the president, has blocked a vote on it. The two congressmen have distributed a petition that will force a vote on the bill, if 218 members of the House sign it.

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

The appeal has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The 218th signature is anticipated to come from Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the House leader has refused to do so until the House reconvenes, and has stated he won’t instruct representatives to come back to the capital until the Senate passes a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.