US Congressman Urges Former Prince Andrew to Testify in Epstein Investigation
A Democratic congressman has demanded the former prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to testify before the US House of Representatives committee that is carrying out an investigation into the official handling of the Epstein case.
Bipartisan Pressure for Testimony
The statement from Congressman Khanna, a California Democratic representative who serves on the House oversight committee, follows a UK trade minister, Chris Bryant, indicated that since Mountbatten Windsor has been stripped of his royal titles, he should answer demands for information about his dealings with Epstein, an alleged 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 expect any decently minded person to comply with that request,” Bryant said.
Khanna stated: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the investigative committee. The public deserves to know who was exploiting women and minors with Epstein.”
Political Environment and Investigation Progress
GOP members control the majority in the House, but following public pressure over former President Trump’s management 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 Department of Justice announced that a widely speculated 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 publication of thousands of documents – including a lewd drawing reportedly drawn by Donald Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday – as well as depositions from former top government officials.
Legislative Actions and Challenges
As a member of the minority, Khanna 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 ex-royal should be interviewed.
The Democrat and Republican Congressman Massie have introduced a bill to force the release of files related to Epstein, but Mike Johnson, a top ally of the president, has blocked a vote on it. Massie and Khanna have distributed a petition that will force a vote on the bill, if a majority of representatives endorse it.
“This is what my campaign with Representative Massie has been about: transparency and justice for the survivors who have been bravely sharing their stories,” Khanna said.
The petition has been signed by all 213 House Democrats, as well as four Republicans. The 218th signature is anticipated to come from Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in the state of Arizona last month, and awaits inauguration by Johnson. However, the House leader has declined to act until the House comes back into session, and has stated he won’t instruct representatives to come back to the capital until the Senate passes a measure to resolve the federal shutdown.
