Khanna blasts risky Iran strikes, says 'Americans are not safer today'
WASHINGTON, DC: Appearing on 'Meet the Press' on Sunday, March 1, Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif) delivered a sharp dissent against the ongoing military offensive in Iran, asserting that "Americans are not safer today" despite the reported elimination of the Iranian supreme leader.
Khanna characterized the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a "brutal dictator" but argued that the administration’s actions have effectively launched a new Middle Eastern war without a clear plan for the aftermath.
The congressman emphasized that at age 86, Khamenei’s succession was already a focus for the Iranian Assembly of Experts.
He warned that the sudden power vacuum risked a violent internal collapse, asking, "Is the country going to descend into civil war? Are billions of our dollars going to be spent there? Are American troops going to be at risk?"
Ro Khanna calls Lindsey Graham face of ‘wrong’ GOP policy
Rep. Ro Khanna:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 1, 2026
Donald Trump said the Iraq War was a disaster. He said Libya was a disaster. He ran because a big part of the MAGA base did not want another war in the Middle East.
They rejected Lindsey Graham, and yet here we have Lindsey Graham being the face of Republican… pic.twitter.com/5KRefIjGk0
Khanna targeted Senator Lindsey Graham, labeling him as the current face of a Republican foreign policy that has been "consistently wrong."
He noted that while President Trump originally ran against "absolute failure" regime-change wars in 2016, the administration has now adopted the interventionist stance it once rejected.
The California Democrat argued that this shift represented a "betrayal" of the MAGA base, which historically opposed further entanglements in the Middle East.
He maintained that because the IRGC remains in power, the strikes have achieved little beyond increasing the threat to US service members.
War Powers Resolution vote looms
The vote on @RepThomasMassie and my WPR comes down to this.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) March 1, 2026
Are you with @LindseyGrahamSC who was for the regime change war in Iraq, Libya and now Iran, or are you with those Americans who are tired of being dragged into wars in the Middle East and want us to focus on jobs and… pic.twitter.com/Drcg7q2QKh
Khanna and Representative Thomas Massie are pushing for an immediate vote on a War Powers Resolution (WPR) to strip the president of unauthorized military authority.
Khanna admitted that the vote would be "close," estimating a 40-60 chance of passing, depending on whether "on the fence" Democrats held the line.
He asserted that the WPR was specifically designed for this moment, when a president had already launched an attack, to allow Congress to intervene and say, "No, you need to stop."
Khanna concluded that the choice for lawmakers was clear: either support a path away from endless war or side with the interventionist views of the GOP leadership.
Ro Khanna wants Trump to follow the 'Clinton rule'
🚨 MAJOR BREAKING: Rep. Ro Khanna says Democrats have the votes to compel Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify about Epstein and that if Rep. Robert Garcia becomes Oversight Chair, they plan to subpoena Donald Trump and members of his family.
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) March 1, 2026
Oversight battles are… pic.twitter.com/6hJ8fXITfd
Beyond the military offensive, Khanna addressed the ongoing fallout from the Epstein files, noting that former President Bill Clinton’s recent closed-door testimony had established a "new Clinton rule."
He argued that because Clinton had answered questions fully without taking the Fifth Amendment, Donald Trump and his family should be held to the same standard of transparency.
Khanna revealed plans to subpoena Howard Lutnick and expressed a desire to have Trump testify about hidden Justice Department interviews and past allegations.
He insisted that every person associated with Epstein’s mansions should be called under oath to explain what they knew.