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A Democratic congressman has demanded the ex-royal Andrew Windsor to appear before the House of Representatives investigative panel that is carrying out an inquiry into the official handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Bipartisan Demands for Evidence

The declaration from Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the House oversight committee, follows a British trade official, Chris Bryant, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal status, he should answer demands for information about his connections to Epstein, an accused 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 formal requests from overseas of this kind, I would expect any reasonable individual to honor that request,” Bryant said.

The congressman commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the investigative committee. The public deserves to know who was exploiting women and minors with Epstein.”

Partisan Landscape and Investigation Progress

Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives, 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. Public interest 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 congressional probe has thus far resulted in the release of thousands of documents – including an explicit sketch apparently made by Donald Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as sworn statements from ex-government leaders.

Legal Actions and Challenges

As a member of the minority, the representative does not have the power to subpoena the former prince’s appearance. Representatives for the committee’s Republican chair, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he thinks the ex-royal should be interviewed.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to force the release of Epstein-related documents, but Mike Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has blocked a vote on it. The two congressmen have circulated a discharge petition that will force a vote on the bill, if 218 members of the House sign it.

“This is what my campaign with Congressman Massie has been about: transparency and accountability for the survivors who have been bravely sharing their stories,” the lawmaker said.

The appeal has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The final required signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by the Speaker. However, the speaker has refused to do so until the House reconvenes, and says he will not tell representatives to return to Washington until the Senate passes a measure to end the ongoing government shutdown.