Khanna says Democrats are privately praising his Feinstein resignation call

Emily Jacobs

April 15, 07:17 PM April 15, 07:18 PM

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who has been embroiled in an intra-party dispute over his call for Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) resignation, said over the weekend that Democrats have expressed support for his move in private.

Feinstein, who at 89 is the Senate's oldest member, has been absent from the chamber since being diagnosed with shingles in February. Democrats only control the chamber by a 51-49 margin, meaning that one absence gives Republicans an opportunity to block President Joe Biden's nominees and legislative efforts.

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After years of criticisms from inside her party that she was no longer up to the job, Feinstein said in February she wouldn't seek reelection in 2024, though she vowed to serve out the remaining 20 months of her term.

Tensions over Feinstein's absence boiled over as it became clear this week that she would not return at the conclusion of Senate recess on Monday, with two House Democrats, including one from her home state, calling for her resignation. The lawmakers, Khanna and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), said Tuesday in separate statements that while the longtime California lawmaker deserved praise for her storied political career, her health problems were affecting her ability to fulfill her duties.

Feinstein offered a compromise amid pressure over her absence on Wednesday, saying she would ask to be replaced on the Senate Judiciary Committee until her return. The panel has been paralyzed as a result of Feinstein's absence, which leaves Democrats without the necessary votes to advance Biden's judicial nominees.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he would ask the Senate next week to allow another Democrat to serve on the panel, but the move will require Republican support, and it is unclear if the GOP will comply.

Asked how Democrats have responded to his decision to go public with what many in the party had already said anonymously to major news outlets in recent years, Khanna said he had received largely positive feedback from fellow lawmakers.

"Quite a few people have said in private, [have] texted [me] saying they agree with that," the House Democrat said on MSNBC on Saturday.

"I think many colleagues are hoping she will come to the conclusion on her own [to resign]," he added. "They have a lot of respect for her, they don't want to push her in a corner, but they're hoping that she will make this decision to have dignity in ending a distinguished career."

Most Democrats have either remained silent or defended Feinstein in the wake of the renewed dispute over her capacity to do her job. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) both appeared to imply that sexism and political motivations were involved in the push to oust the veteran senator.

The two seemed to be referencing the absence of Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Khanna's endorsement of Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) in the Democratic primary to fill Feinstein's seat in 2024. Lee is polling behind Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Katie Porter (D-CA), but she is believed to be Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-CA) front-runner to replace Feinstein were the senator to resign early. If Newsom were to appoint Lee, she would have the benefit of incumbency in her primary race and likely see a boost in the polls.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), meanwhile, said she was taking a wait-and-see approach and would give Feinstein a month or so before reassessing the matter.

Ro Khanna stands by ‘common sense’ letter to Biden urging diplomacy in Ukraine

Mike Brest

October 25, 04:41 PM October 25, 04:41 PM

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is standing by a now-withdrawn letter he and colleagues sent to President Joe Biden urging him to emphasize diplomacy in Ukraine.

On Monday, 30 House progressives signed the letter, which some have said they signed over the summer. There was a backlash as critics suggested the push was unrealistic given the circumstances in the war. Roughly 24 hours after the letter was publicly revealed, the Progressive Caucus withdrew it, with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the caucus chairwoman, saying that it “unfortunately was released by staff without vetting.”

Khanna, however, doesn’t support Jayapal’s decision to withdraw the letter, saying in an interview on CNN on Tuesday, “I think the letter was common sense. I support making sure we arm Ukraine and provide arms to Ukraine and continue to fund it, but I also believe that the president, as he said, we are at a risk of nuclear war. Don’t you think our counterpart should be talking to Russia? Of course they should, to be sure that it doesn’t escalate.”

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Other progressive members, including Reps. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) distanced themselves from the letter, with the former saying she wouldn’t sign it currently after having signed it in late June.

The letter, at the time it was published, appeared to represent a significant shift within the Democratic Party on Capitol Hill, in addition to calling for diplomacy as Russia has engaged in alleged war crimes and the possibility of military escalation.

Another underlying aspect of the timing of the letter is that it was released only two weeks before the midterm elections, in which the Republican Party is expected to retake control of at least one chamber of Congress. There has been more consternation among Republicans about the continued aid to Ukraine, which has topped $65 billion since Russia invaded, some of whom voted against the aid the United States has already provided.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) made headlines last week when he said the Ukrainians will not provide them with a “blank check,” though he has since expounded upon those comments, saying he supports helping Ukraine defeat Russian forces.

With the makeup of Congress set to change once November's winners are sworn-in in early January, Democrats could look to pass another large aid package, and NBC News is reporting that it could be in the ballpark of another $50 billion.

Last Friday, in response to McCarthy, President Joe Biden said he didn’t “understand the threat that [Republicans are] saying they may have to stop funding the Ukrainians in their war against this brutal dictator.”