Latest news with #RoKhanna
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Progressive Democrats urge transparency from the Trump administration on Jeffrey Epstein
Former DNC vice chair David Hogg, DNC vice chair Malcolm Kenyatta and Rep. Ro Khanna spoke with Fox News Digital about the so-called Epstein files. (Credit: Nicholas Ballasy)
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Finally, Democrats are fighting back: How Trump-Epstein and redistricting have ignited a revolt
On Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson let the House of Representatives break for August recess one day early. Johnson had no other option because Democrats ground the chamber to a halt in an attempt to get their Republican colleagues to vote on files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) — joined by Trump-rebelling Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) — had been gathering co-sponsors for their discharge petition that would allow them to circumvent leadership to release files related to the convicted sex offender and trafficker. But discharge petitions need seven legislative business days to 'ripen,' so cutting short the calendar delays the ripening. It marked a turning point for a party that's been flailing since Donald Trump won last November. For the past few months, while Democrats have opposed Trump's initiatives, they have not landed a single clean punch politically. Rather, they've mostly stayed out of the way and hoped for his unforced errors, of which there have been several. But that changed significantly this week. Democrats of all stripes in the House signed onto the discharge petition. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) represents a district that voted for Trump. But she signed onto Khanna and Massie's discharge petition and did not mince words. 'We deserve transparency and I'm pretty appalled to see parliamentary procedure used to hide pedophiles,' she told The Independent. Democrats did get some substantial wins out of it, too. Not only did the House Oversight Committee vote to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and associate who is serving a 20-year sentence; three Republicans crossed over in one of the subcommittees to subpoena files related to the Epstein investigation. And Democrats are not just gumming up the works on the House side. Earlier this week, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), told The Independent that he hoped that the Senate would not take up the Epstein files. Unfortunately for his caucus, Democrats in the Senate decided to hijack the committee process there, too. On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee convened for legislation Cornyn wanted to pass through the committee on opioids. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) attempted to include an amendment related to Epstein. In the same token, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) tried to force a vote to disclose files related to Epstein, but Republicans blocked his efforts on the floor. It should be stated that Booker and Gallego both likely want to run for president. During the August recess, Gallego will head to Iowa, which traditionally hosts the first presidential caucus. And ever since Booker's record-breaking sort-of filibuster, he has raised prodigious amounts of money and he likely sees this as a way to boost his profile even more. But Democrats are not just drawing blood on Epstein. Earlier this month, the Texas state legislature announced it would reconvene in the middle of the decade to redraw its congressional maps in an attempt to flip more seats and grow the GOP majority. That seems to have set off something in Democrats. Gov. Gavin Newsom has said that Democrats should respond in kind by having California redraw their map. And it's not just liberal Newsom who supports this idea. Rep. Adam Gray, a freshman Democrat who narrowly flipped a seat Trump won, expressed openness to Newsom's proposal. 'I think what's important is that people all play by the same rules,' he told The Independent. 'And you know, I think it doesn't necessarily help either party to be toying around or trying to manipulate the rules, or change the rules, that seems to be what Texas is doing, which I think is a poor decision.' California has a unique situation because it has an independent commission that draws congressional districts. Any effort to shore up Democrats in the Golden State would need to pass legal scrutiny or change that situation. Unsurprisingly, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) put it more bluntly. 'The only way that you can deal with a bully is by socking them back, so it's time for us to sock them back,' Crockett told The Independent. 'Right now they decided to start a fight so that they could shit on the American people. The least that we could help is fight back so that we could help the American people.' But perhaps the most audacious idea came from Gallego, who suggested that Democrats dilute districts that the Voting Rights Act protected to ensure equal representation of Black voters, as a way to make more districts where Democrats could win. 'I would tell you what I would know would happen the Republicans at any point should they ever take control of the registry commission in Arizona, what absolutely do anything, do to do to screw us,' he told The Independent. Therefore, he said that Democrats should not be afraid to use the same weapons against Republicans. That might not go over well with some African-American voters, who are the most consistent voters in Democratic primaries. At the same time, in a time when Democratic voters have demanded that theys see elected officials fight, they might be more unwilling to let go of old decorum rules.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Kamala Delivers Virtual World Salad to Summit
The Democrats' best plan to win over 'voters of tomorrow' was a virtual message from failed candidate and VP Kamala?! I'm Tomi Lahren, more next. So spoiler alert, the Democrats still don't know why they lost in 2024 and why their approval rating keeps finding new lows. BUT, they did hold a lackluster event in DC over the weekend called the 'Voters of Tomorrow Summit.' The goal of the summit was reportedly to activate young voters and get GenZ back in the pocket of the Democrat Party. Featured speakers included former Speaker Pelosi, Rep Ro Khanna and even a VIRTUAL two minute pre-recorded message from none other than the big loser herself, Kamala Harris! Now you'd think that given it was a pre-taped virtual message lasting only a couple minutes, she couldn't have screwed it up that badly. You'd be wrong. True to her signature 'style,' the message was a rambling idealistic word salad of shallow and uninspiring nothingness. And worst of all for Democrats, Kamala vowed to 'stay in the fight!' Uh-oh, does that mean she's running again?! Best of luck! I'm Tomi Lahren and you can watch my show 'Tomi Lahren is Fearless' at Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Rep. Ro Khanna backs Gen Z progressive Kat Abughazaleh in Illinois congressional race
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California endorsed progressive congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh Monday, calling the 26-year-old influencer "the absolute best that the Democratic party has to offer." "I'm thrilled to endorse Kat Abughazaleh," Khanna said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Kat when she's elected, so that together we can defeat Donald Trump's inhumane agenda and focus on the most pressing issues facing working people." The Gen Z newcomer is one of several Democratic contenders running for Illinois' 9th Congressional District to replace retiring incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky. The district spans Chicago's northwest suburbs, including the city of Evanston. "I'm incredibly grateful to Congressman Khanna for his support, and I look forward to serving with him in Congress to deliver results for working people," Abughazaleh said. "Like Ro, I do not accept any corporate PAC money. I'm fighting for the working class, and that means not being controlled by any special interests." The endorsement comes after the pair appealed to young voters in separate appearances last week at the Voters of Tomorrow Summit in Washington, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Khanna, who co-chaired Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, addressed the generational divide within the party, telling the audience that the "old guard" needs to go. "I'm here to say that a new Democratic Party, a reborn Democratic Party, a populist Democratic Party, a multiracial Democratic Party, a Democratic Party that centers the working and middle class, a Democratic Party that looks like the future, is a Democratic Party that can lead us back to victory and lead us to a better America," Khanna said. Abughazaleh, a former journalist and community advocate, has quickly amassed a war chest. Her campaign recently announced she has raised more than $1 million through grassroots support since her entry to the race in March. Evanston Mayor Daniel Bliss, who announced his bid for the seat in May, has raised more than $700,000 and picked up the endorsement of key progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.. At least half a dozen candidates are vying for the congressional seat ahead of the March 2026 primary. Abughazaleh hopes to differentiate herself with a bold, policy-first platform aimed at lowering housing and healthcare costs and advancing the Green New Deal. "My grandfather immigrated to the Chicago area in 1957, and my parents got engaged right here in 1987," Abughazaleh said. "Three generations later, I'm here, and I am committed to fighting to preserve the values that brought my grandfather here in the first place."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans Are Still In Disarray Over The Epstein Files
Republicans are continuing to go at it over the Jeffrey Epstein files despite House leadership's attempts to flee D.C. and avoid votes on the issue. In dueling NBC News interviews on Sunday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) pushed for his bipartisan resolution calling for the release of the files, while House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) argued that the measure doesn't do enough to protect victims. (Massie and his co-sponsor, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, both disputed this claim and say there are privacy safeguards.) Massie also slammed Johnson for adjourning the House early for recess, while Johnson defended his decision and said he wanted to bar Democrats from continuing to force votes in the Rules Committee and using the Epstein issue for political messaging. 'I don't know why it should be politically painful to be transparent,' Massie said in his interview. Last week, Johnson wouldn't commit to holding a vote on another nonbinding Republican resolution that urges the Justice Department to release certain Epstein files, either. Instead, he called for 'the administration to have the space to do what it is doing' and said he'd consider further congressional action if it was 'necessary or appropriate.' Johnson also emphasized that there was no 'daylight' between his position and the White House's, and that both were interested in releasing 'credible' information from the Epstein files. The disagreements between Massie and Johnson underscore a larger schism among House Republicans on the subject, which has consumed the party as GOP voters push for answers following years of top Trump administration officials elevating conspiracy theories about the convicted sex offender. Since the Justice Department announced it wouldn't be releasing more Epstein files earlier this month, there's been fierce backlash from President Donald Trump's own base as voters demand information about the disgraced financier and his associates. Certain Republicans, like Massie, have been vocal about providing that transparency and calling out the administration's handling of the issue, while others have deferred to Trump, who initially urged his supporters to move on. Following fierce blowback on the topic, Trump then changed his position, and pushed for the disclosure of grand jury testimony on Epstein, which a judge has declined to release. Massie and Johnson's interviews on Sunday suggest the issue — and the party's divide over it — aren't going away. Prominent MAGA conservatives including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) are among those who've signed on to back Massie and Khanna's resolution. If successful, the two lawmakers could force a House vote on compelling the Justice Department to release the Epstein files, which could underscore GOP splits on the subject even further. Massie warned Sunday that inaction on the Epstein files could come back to haunt the party in upcoming elections. 'This is going to hurt Republicans in the midterms,' he said. 'The voters will be apathetic if we don't hold the rich and powerful accountable.' Related... Ro Khanna Says Mike Johnson's Decision To Shut Down The House Early Speaks Volumes Mike Johnson Shuts Down House Early To Block Vote On Jeffrey Epstein Files Sen. Graham Calls For 'Investigation' Into Obama — Playing Into Trump's Epstein Distraction
