A Democratic representative has demanded the ex-royal Andrew Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives committee that is currently conducting an investigation into the official handling of the Epstein case.
The statement from Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who serves on the House oversight committee, comes after 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 dealings with 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 anticipate any decently minded person to comply with that request,” Bryant said.
The congressman commented: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The people have a right to know who was exploiting women and minors alongside Epstein.”
Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives, but amid public outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein case authorized an investigation by the House committee into how the government handled his legal proceedings. Public interest flared in July, after the justice department revealed that a widely speculated list of Epstein’s associates did not exist, and it would provide no additional information on the case.
The House investigation has thus far resulted in the publication of thousands of documents – including a lewd drawing reportedly drawn by Donald Trump for Epstein’s birthday – as well as sworn statements from ex-government leaders.
As a member of the minority, the representative lacks the authority to subpoena Mountbatten Windsor’s testimony. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, Chairman Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he believes the former prince should be questioned.
The Democrat and Thomas Massie have proposed legislation to force the release of Epstein-related documents, but Mike Johnson, a top ally of the president, has refused to bring it up for a vote. The two congressmen have distributed a petition that will require the bill be voted on, if 218 members of the House sign it.
“This is what my campaign with Representative Massie has been about: openness and justice for the victims who have been bravely sharing their stories,” Khanna said.
The petition has been endorsed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four Republicans. The final required signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the House leader has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and has stated he won’t instruct lawmakers to come back to the capital until the Senate passes a bill to resolve the federal shutdown.
Elara is a financial strategist with over a decade of experience in wealth management and entrepreneurship.
