American Lawmaker Calls On Ex-Royal Andrew to Testify in Epstein Investigation
A Democratic congressman has demanded the former prince Andrew Windsor to testify before the House of Representatives investigative panel that is carrying out an investigation into the official handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Bipartisan Pressure for Testimony
The statement from Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who is a member of the House oversight committee, follows a British trade official, Chris Bryant, suggested that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should answer demands for information about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who died by suicide while in government 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 anticipate any reasonable individual to honor that request,” the minister said.
Khanna commented: “Andrew should be called to testify before the investigative committee. The people have a right to know who was exploiting women and minors with Epstein.”
Political Environment and Investigation Developments
Republicans control the majority in the House, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein case approved an inquiry by the oversight committee into how the authorities managed his legal proceedings. Public interest surged in July, after the justice department revealed that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s sex trafficking clients was non-existent, 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 Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as sworn statements from former top government officials.
Legal Actions and Challenges
As a minority party member, the representative does not have the power to subpoena Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, Chairman Comer, declined to comment about whether he thinks the former prince should be interviewed.
The Democrat and Thomas Massie have introduced a bill to force the release of Epstein-related documents, but House Speaker Johnson, a top ally of the president, has blocked a vote on it. Massie and Khanna have distributed a petition that will force a vote on the bill, if a majority of representatives sign 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 endorsed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four Republicans. The final required signature is expected to be Representative-elect Grijalva, who was elected in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the House leader has refused to do so until the House comes back into session, and says he will not tell representatives to return to Washington until the Senate approves a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.