US Lawmaker Calls On Former Prince Andrew to Testify in Epstein Inquiry
A Democratic representative has demanded the former prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to appear before the US House of Representatives committee that is currently conducting an inquiry into the official handling of the Epstein case.
Bipartisan Pressure for Evidence
The statement from Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California who serves on the House oversight committee, comes after a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, indicated that since the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles, he should respond to requests for details about his connections to Epstein, an accused sex trafficker who died by suicide while in government custody six years ago.
“Just as with any regular citizen, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would expect any reasonable individual to comply with that request,” the minister said.
Khanna commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The people have a right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
Partisan Landscape and Investigation Progress
Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives, but amid public outcry over former President Trump’s management of the Epstein matter authorized an investigation by the House committee into how the authorities managed his legal proceedings. Public interest surged 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 House investigation has thus far resulted in the publication of thousands of documents – including a lewd drawing reportedly drawn by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.
Legislative Actions and Obstacles
As a member of the minority, the representative does not have the power to subpoena the former prince’s appearance. Spokespeople for the committee’s Republican chair, James Comer, did not respond to questions about whether he thinks the ex-royal should be questioned.
The Democrat and Republican Congressman Massie have proposed legislation to mandate the disclosure of Epstein-related documents, but Mike Johnson, a key presidential supporter, has refused to bring it up for a vote. The two congressmen have circulated a discharge petition that will require the bill be voted on, if 218 members of the House endorse it.
“This is what my campaign with Congressman Massie has been about: transparency and justice for the survivors who have been bravely sharing their stories,” the lawmaker said.
The appeal has been endorsed by all 213 Democratic representatives, as well as four Republicans. The final required signature is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by the Speaker. However, the House leader has declined to act until the House comes back into session, and has stated he won’t instruct representatives to return to Washington until the Senate approves a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.