AIPAC Has Too Much Influence On Congress, Says Rep. Ro Khanna

The antiwar California House Democrat answers tough questions from Mehdi and a live DC audience about Trump’s attack on Iran.

By Mehdi Hasan and Team Zeteo, Zeteo

Following Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, Mehdi sits down with California Congressman Ro Khanna, who joins a live Washington, DC, audience at restaurant Busboys and Poets to answer questions on how we got here, the red flags along the way, and the Democrats’ latest efforts at standing up to Trump’s overreach at home and especially abroad.

The conversation addresses the many fissures formed as a result of US involvement in Israel’s war with Iran. “This is the first issue that ordinary voters feel betrayed,” says Khanna, adding that the Democrats “fumbled” the opportunity to position themselves as the party for peace. “But maybe the Democratic Party hasn’t done that, because it’s not the anti-war party or pro-peace party. That’s the problem.” Mehdi replies.

That criticism was not exclusive to Mehdi, however, as Khanna too voices his own fair share of criticisms towards the Democrats, saying they are “too afraid of offending” people, that unconstitutional executive overreach by hawkish presidents predates Trump, and that it’s “undeniable” that AIPAC has “too much” over colleagues in Congress.

Khanna joins Mehdi on the heels of him introducing a war powers resolution alongside Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie that aims to bolster congressional powers in times of war. The resolution, however, was not enough for an audience eager to voice their concerns to an elected official.

“We want change, and I’m not seeing that with the establishment Democrats. When is that going to change?” asks one audience member. Another asks Khanna whether he believes Israel has nuclear weapons. Many go on to ask questions on funding to Ukraine, Khanna’s resolution challenging Trump, and the hypocrisy of the Democrats.