American Congressman Urges Ex-Royal 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 carrying out an inquiry into the official handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Bipartisan Pressure for Evidence
The declaration from Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who is a member of the House oversight committee, comes after a British trade official, Chris Bryant, suggested that since Mountbatten Windsor has been stripped of his royal titles, he should respond to requests for details about his dealings with Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who died by suicide while in government custody six years ago.
âJust as with any regular citizen, if there were formal requests from overseas of this kind, I would expect any decently minded person to comply with that request,â the minister said.
Khanna stated: âAndrew should be called to testify before the investigative committee. The people have a right to know who was exploiting women and minors with Epstein.â
Partisan Environment and Investigation Developments
Republicans hold the majority in the House, but following public pressure over Donald Trumpâs handling of the Epstein case approved an inquiry by the oversight committee into how the authorities managed his prosecutions. Public interest flared in July, after the justice department revealed that a widely speculated list of Epsteinâs associates was non-existent, and it would provide no additional information on the case.
The House investigation has so far led to the release of thousands of documents â including an explicit sketch reportedly drawn by Trump for Epsteinâs 50th birthday â as well as sworn statements from ex-government leaders.
Legislative Actions and Obstacles
As a member of the minority, Khanna does not have the power to subpoena Mountbatten Windsorâs testimony. Spokespeople for the committeeâs Republican chair, Chairman Comer, declined to comment about whether he thinks the former prince should be interviewed.
The Democrat and Republican Congressman 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. Massie and Khanna have distributed a petition that will require the bill be voted on, if a majority of representatives endorse it.
âThis is what my effort with Representative Massie has been about: openness and justice for the survivors who have been courageously speaking out,â the lawmaker said.
The petition has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four GOP members. The 218th signature is expected to be Representative-elect Grijalva, who won a special election 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 lawmakers to return to Washington until the Senate passes a measure to resolve the federal shutdown.