(April 16, 2026)
Archiv: Ro Khanna
In Dead of Night, Johnson Tries—But Fails—to Ram Through Domestic Spying Bill for Trump
In the 228-197 final vote, a total of four Democrats—Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Thomas R. Suozzi of New York—joined with all but 25 Republicans who voted to pass a 10-day extension. Twenty GOP members voted against it, while five did not vote.
Ahead of the votes—including on separate versions asking for a 5-year and then 18-month extensions of Section 702—opponents of any clean extension, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), said anyone opposed to warrantless spying on Americans must vote no.
Trump’s attack on Iran ‘won’t make Epstein files go away,’ GOP Rep. Massie says
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) joins MS NOW’s Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss a resolution he co-sponsored with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie that would limit Donald Trump‘s ability to wage war in Iran without congressional approval. Rep. Khanna says of Trump who campaigned against forever wars: “Never in the modern history of this country has someone lied as blatantly in one office on such a false pretense.”
Congress to vote on Trump’s war powers in aftermath of Iran strikes
“It’s a slap in the face of the United States Congress. The president has launched an illegal war when there is no imminent threat. He did not consult with Congress or allow for a debate in Congress, which even George W. Bush did,” Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California told CNN on Saturday morning.
Now, House and Senate Democratic leaders — as well as the famously anti-interventionist Republican Rep. Thomas Massie — are demanding that GOP leaders bring Congress back into session immediately to hold a formal vote on the unfolding conflict in Iran.
The ‘Crazy’ Plot to Release the Epstein Files
Khanna’s staff and consultants tried to talk him out of pursuing such legislation, explaining that it could make him look like a conspiracy theorist, instead of his desired image as a “serious economics guy.” But Khanna explained to his staff that the topic of Epstein kept coming up, especially when he appeared on podcasts or visited the more conservative parts of his district. He recalled a young man delivering a long rant at a recent town hall about how he didn’t trust the government because it was “protecting pedophiles” by not releasing the Epstein files or holding more people accountable. In that moment, Khanna told me, he realized that standing up for Epstein’s victims—and against the wealthy or powerful—was a way to build trust.
Congress must vote on war according to our Constitution. @RepRoKhanna and I will be forcing that vote to happen in the House as soon as possible.
(February 19, 2026)
I will vote to put America first which means voting against more war in the Middle East.
Trump officials say there‘s a 90% chance of strikes on Iran. He can’t without Congress. @RepThomasMassie & I have a War Powers Resolution to debate & vote on war before putting U.S. troops in harm’s way.
(February 18, 2026)
I will make a motion to discharge to force a vote on it next week.
Khanna, Massie to sit together during Trump’s State of the Union
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) — the bipartisan pair who bonded amid an effort to pressure the Justice Department to release the Epstein files — will sit alongside one another during Trump’s address Tuesday evening.
Republicans and Democrats generally sit with members of their own party during the State of the Union, but Khanna and Massie have forged an unlikely friendship amid their push for transparency on the deceased sex offender’s political and financial ties.
‚So shameful‘: Rep. Khanna slams FBI, DOJ for not interviewing Les Wexner
Feb 20, 2026 #LesWexner #PrinceAndrew #EpsteinFiles
Lawmakers are calling for justice against alleged associates of Jeffrey Epstein in the U.S. after the arrest of former Prince Andrew in Britain. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., discusses.
Rep. Ro Khanna’s Statement on the Arrest of Former Prince Andrew
Washington, DC — Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17), author of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, released the following statement on the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor:
„Even princes are not above the law. Rep. Thomas Massie and I forced the release of an email showing former Prince Andrew allegedly shared state information with Epstein. On February 9th, I called on King Charles to investigate and answer questions. Andrew is being held accountable because of the survivors, like Virginia Giuffre, who bravely spoke up.
“We’ve also seen Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem resign from DP World, the former Norwegian Prime Minister be charged with gross corruption, Peter Mandelson be fired as ambassador and step down from the House of Lords, Kathryn Ruemmler step down from Goldman Sachs, and other examples of accountability around the world. But why isn’t more being done here? We should start with Howard Lutnick resigning,“ said Rep. Ro Khanna.
Prince Andrew was just arrested. This was the metric I established for success of the Epstein Files Transparency Act that @RepRoKhannaand and I got passed. Now we need JUSTICE in the United States. It’s time for @AGPamBondi and @FBIDirectorKash to act!
(video)
After former Prince Andrew’s arrest due to Epstein connections, members of Congress call for more
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who drew President Donald Trump’s ire amid his successful push to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act in Congress last year, urged federal officials to follow the example of their British counterparts.
“Prince Andrew was just arrested,” he wrote on X on Thursday. “This was the metric I established for success of the Epstein Files Transparency Act that [Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)] and I got passed. Now we need JUSTICE in the United States. It’s time for [Attorney General Pam Bondi] and [FBI Director Kash Patel] to act!”
.@RepThomasMassie and I forced last night the DOJ to disclose the identities of 6 men: Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, Nicola Caputo, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, and billionaire businessman Leslie Wexner.
I share details of what more we learned to hold the Epstein class accountable.
U.S. lawmaker Ro Khanna names 6 ‚powerful men‘ originally redacted from Epstein files
Khanna took the extraordinary step of naming six „powerful men“ in the chamber who he said had their names improperly redacted, after visiting the Justice Department with Massie on Monday — the first day lawmakers were allowed to view unredacted files.
The presence of one‘s name in the files related to Epstein does not by itself indicate criminal wrongdoing, but Khanna is likely protected from legal consequence or defamation claims by the „speech or debate“ clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Epstein files: Ro Khanna says DOJ’s latest release is ‘not good enough’
(February 1, 2026)
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif, said the Department of Justice’s latest release of records related to its investigation of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “is not good enough.”
“If we don’t get the remaining files… then Thomas Massie and I are prepared to move on impeachment or contempt,” Khanna said Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” referring to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Rep. Massie weighs options to force compliance with Epstein files law
“Coming forward has required extraordinary courage, exposing ourselves to public scrutiny, retaliation and lifelong emotional consequences,” Hobson wrote in a Jan. 18 letter. “We did so with belief in our government and trusting that when Congress passed this law, the Executive Branch would honor it.”
The judge ruled this week that he does not have the authority to enforce the disclosure law, but that Massie and Khanna could file a lawsuit or pursue oversight through legislative means.
“We have several avenues in the legislative branch here,” said Massie. “We could bring contempt, inherent contempt, or even impeachment against Pam Bondi.”
Release: Rep. Khanna’s Statement on Epstein Survivor Haley Robson’s Letter Urging Court to Enforce Epstein Files Transparency Act
(January 19, 2026)
The letter comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche responded to Judge Engelmayer’s order denying Reps. Khanna and Massie’s motion to appoint a special master to oversee the release of the Epstein files.
Lawmakers can sue to ensure release of Epstein files, but not as part of Maxwell case, judge says
(Janiary 21, 2026)
“We appreciate Judge Engelmayer’s timely response and attention to our request, and we respect his decision,“ Mr. Khanna said in a statement. „He said that we raised ‘legitimate concerns’ about whether DOJ is complying with the law. We will continue to use every legal option to ensure the files are released and the survivors see justice.”
Judge demands response after lawmakers accuse DOJ of dragging feet with Epstein files
“The Department of Justice is openly defying the law by refusing to release the full Epstein files. Millions of files are being kept from the public,” Khanna said in a statement last week. “The DOJ has failed to make the necessary redactions to protect survivors while removing records after publication without any explanation.”
Massie accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of “egregiously violating the requirements of the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” the law passed by Congress late last year to facilitate the release of the materials.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer — the Barack Obama appointee in charge of Maxwell’s case — gave the Justice Department until Friday to respond to the lawmakers’ claims.
Independent Epstein Files ‘Special Master’ Could Be Named Next Week—And May Speed Up Release
Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., asked a federal judge last week to appoint a third-party special master or independent monitor to oversee the government’s release of the Epstein files.
The Justice Department was legally required to make all its documents on Epstein public by Dec. 19, but has so far only released a small subset of the materials and not given any clarity on when the full files will come out.
‘They’re Delusional If They Think This Is Going to Go Away’
Khanna told me that he was discussing next steps with Massie and others on the oversight committee, which may include contempt of Congress or articles of impeachment for Bondi and Blanche.
“We’re exploring all options—including impeachment,” Khanna said. “They’re delusional if they think this is going to go away.”
Unfortunately, today’s document release by @AGPamBondi and @DAGToddBlanche grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law that @realDonaldTrump signed just 30 days ago. @RepRoKhanna is correct.
(…)
The DOJ’s document dump of hundreds of thousands of pages failed to comply with the law authored by @RepThomasMassie and me. One document, 119 pages of Grand Jury testimony, was completely redacted.
I explain what is missing and what the survivors and their lawyers are still expecting to be released.
Watch Live: Epstein survivors, lawmakers speak ahead of House vote on full release of DOJ files
Reps. Ro Khanna, Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jeffrey Epstein survivors are holding a news conference ahead of a House vote on a bill that would compel the Justice Department to release all the documents related to the convicted sex offender.
Trump urges Republicans to vote to release Epstein files, marking stark reversal
(updated 12 hours ago)
Trump’s reversal comes as expectations of mass GOP defections grew ahead of a House vote this week on an attempt to force the Justice Department to release all of the Epstein case files.
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California last week gathered enough signatures on a discharge petition to force such a vote.
Massie and Khanna appeared optimistic earlier Sunday about their bill’s chances of passing, insisting there was growing support among the GOP in the House.
Lawmakers Revive War Powers Debate as Trump Threatens Iran
In the House, a Democrat and a Republican teamed up on Tuesday to introduce a resolution that would require congressional approval before U.S. troops could engage in offensive attacks against Iran. The measure by Representatives Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, and Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, underscored a view held by many in Congress that Mr. Trump should not be able to decide on his own whether the United States wades deeper into the conflict. Thirteen additional Democrats signed on to the resolution, but no Republicans so far were supporting the effort.
Jayapal, Khanna, Hoyle Demand Answers Over Unauthorized Military Strikes in Yemen by Trump Administration
(April 9, 2025)
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ro Khanna (CA-17), and Val Hoyle (OR-04) are expressing major concerns over the lack of Congressional approval for U.S. military strikes in Yemen.
“The U.S. Constitution is clear: Congress holds the sole power to authorize offensive military action,” wrote the Members. “While we share concerns about maritime security in the Red Sea, we call on your
Administration to immediately cease unauthorized use of military force and instead seek specific statutory authorization from Congress before involving the U.S. in an unconstitutional conflict in the Middle East, which risks endangering U.S. military personnel in the region and escalating into a regime-change war.”