US Lawmaker Urges Former Prince Andrew to Provide Testimony in Epstein Investigation

A Democratic representative has publicly called for the ex-royal Andrew Windsor to appear before the House of Representatives committee that is carrying out an investigation into the official handling of the Epstein case.

Bipartisan Pressure for Testimony

The declaration from Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the House oversight committee, follows a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, suggested 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 died by suicide 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 anticipate any decently minded person to honor that request,” the minister said.

The congressman commented: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

Political Landscape and Probe Developments

GOP members hold the majority in the House of Representatives, but following public pressure over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein matter approved an inquiry by the House committee into how the government handled his legal proceedings. 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 Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.

Legislative Efforts and Obstacles

As a member of the minority, the representative does not have the power to compel the former prince’s appearance. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, declined to comment about whether he thinks the former prince should be questioned.

The Democrat and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of files related to Epstein, but House Speaker 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 effort with Congressman Massie has been about: transparency and accountability for the victims who have been bravely sharing their stories,” the lawmaker said.

The appeal has been endorsed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four GOP members. The final required signature is anticipated to come from Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits swearing in by Johnson. However, the House leader has refused to do so until the House comes back into session, and has stated he won’t instruct representatives to return to Washington until the Senate passes a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.