US Lawmaker Urges Former Prince Andrew to Provide Testimony in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation
A Democratic Party representative has demanded the ex-royal Andrew Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives committee that is currently conducting an inquiry into the official handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Bipartisan Pressure for Testimony
The declaration from Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who serves on the investigative House oversight committee, comes after a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, suggested that since Mountbatten Windsor has been stripped of his royal titles, 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.
âJust as with any regular citizen, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would expect any decently minded person to honor that request,â the minister said.
The congressman stated: âAndrew should be called to testify before the investigative committee. The people have a right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.â
Political Landscape and Investigation Progress
GOP members hold the majority in the House, but following public pressure over former President Trumpâs management of the Epstein matter 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 revealed that a much-rumored list of Epsteinâs sex trafficking clients was non-existent, and it would provide no additional information on the case.
The congressional probe has thus far resulted in the publication of thousands of documents â including a lewd drawing apparently made by Trump for Epsteinâs birthday â as well as sworn statements from former top government officials.
Legislative Efforts and Obstacles
As a member of the minority, Khanna does not have the power to compel Mountbatten Windsorâs testimony. Representatives for the Republican committee chairman, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he believes the ex-royal should be questioned.
Khanna and Republican Congressman Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of Epstein-related documents, but House Speaker 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.
âThis is what my effort with Congressman Massie has been about: transparency and justice for the survivors who have been courageously speaking out,â the lawmaker said.
The appeal has been endorsed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The 218th signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the speaker has declined to act until the House reconvenes, and has stated he wonât instruct representatives to return to Washington until the Senate passes a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.