The following is a transcript of an interview with Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, broadcast May 5, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re joined now by Ro Khanna, Democratic Congresswoman from California, great to have you here. And you’ve visited, I know, college campuses across the country, in Michigan, in Nevada, and the Biden campaign recently sent you to Wisconsin. Are we now at the point where protesters become a story in themselves and a distraction from the issues they are protesting?
REPRESENTATIVE. RO KHANNA (D-CA): No, I don’t think so. I mean, in Wisconsin, the issues that came up first were abortion rights. Second, the cost of living and what the president was going to do about student loans, housing and rent. Gaza appeared. But you know, one of the conversations in Madison with Jewish Americans and Arab Americans was extraordinarily gracious and thoughtful and constructive. So I think on many campuses, there are 4,000 in the United States, constructive dialogue is taking place.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But the president doesn’t do these kinds of listening sessions. For what?
REPRESENTATIVE. KHANNA: I think the president should and will visit campuses. I-I think–
MARGARET BRENNAN: – He gets shouted “genocide Joe” when he goes to events.
REPRESENTATIVE. KHANNA: And look, this is part of the protest. I condemn any demonstration that incites violence or is anti-Semitic. Like someone whose grandfather spent four years in prison with Gandhi. I mean, the goal of satyagraha was nonviolent protest. We must understand that this is a defining moment for this generation, similar to the protests against Vietnam, against apartheid, against the war in Iraq. And they tell us that 30 to more than 30,000 people died. It is time for this war to end. It’s time for the Hamas hostages to be released, and they want to see leadership in America and around the world. This is not the world they want.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the president, however, has said the protests don’t require him to change his policies. He is unequivocally pro-Israel. That was a month ago, he said something had to change or else American policy would. Do you think this will result in a change in American policy?
REPRESENTATIVE. KHANNA: Yes. And I slightly disagree. I think the protests and the broader movement changed the president. I mean, look at the president talking now about some of the consequences that this could have on Netanyahu, the Erez canal – the opening of Erez open, the United States did not veto the cease resolution -fire at the United Nations after three attempts.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And then he said it wasn’t binding.
REPRESENTATIVE. KHANNA: And it hasn’t been compelling, but at least, look, everyone from the president on down is aware that young people are upset about what’s happening in the Middle East. And I think there’s been a realization in Washington that this war has to end, that too many people are dying. And if you look at the president’s language, it’s certainly changed over the last six months. Now, some of us wish there were consequences.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That’s right. And this week we know that the administration has until May 8 to provide a report on whether Israel and other recipients of U.S. military aid are using these weapons legally and whether or not they are blocking the aid. humanitarian. Is this going to be honest accounting?
REPRESENTATIVE. KHANNA: I hope so. An independent task force also released the report. And already–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –They’re trying to make a start–
REPRESENTATIVE. KHANNA: –To prelude–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –Which the administration can release, because they’re pretty clear in this non-governmental report that they think there are violations.
REPRESENTATIVE. KHANNA: Yes, so let’s be nuanced about what the report says because it’s actually very thoughtful. They say: listen, the Hamas attacks of October 7 were brutal and unjustified. Then they say that there are underground tunnels in Gaza, but they say that you cannot destroy residential buildings just because there is a tunnel, because according to international law, there cannot be disproportionate civilian damage. And they detail the cases where this happens. They detail cases where residential buildings were destroyed without any military targets. So I expect that the State Department report will have that kind of nuance and detail, and if it doesn’t, people will ask why in Congress.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So while you were talking about very specific policy changes for very specific allegations, you also see in some of these protests, elements that are mixed in, either outside agitators or extreme rhetoric. Your Democratic colleague, Elissa Slotkin, had just tweeted about this protest at GW University. She said there were individuals shouting guillotine-guillotine and simulating the trial of school administrators. She says this creates a climate of fear for Jewish students. What is lost in the conversation here?
REPRESENTATIVE. KHANNA: Well, she’s right. I mean, you can’t yell “guillotine, guillotine.” You can’t shout “globalize the Intifada” or “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” What gets lost is that the few protesters who incite violence or engage in this kind of anti-Semitism dwarf the thousands of young people who simply want the war to end. And I guess I would say watch John Lewis or Dr. King. In their protests they were beyond reproach. If an individual engages in bigotry, he or she denounces it first and loudly. So I’m proud of a lot of young people who want to end the war, but they have to be disciplined and some universities have done that. Look at Cornell, look at the University of Minnesota, look at what’s happening at Northwestern. Efforts have been made to avoid police intervention, to engage with student protesters, to achieve much more peace and calm, and there are models of what can work in this country.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congresswoman, it’s always good to hear from you.
REPRESENTATIVE. KHANNA: Thank you, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Thank you for telling us about what you’re seeing on college campuses. We’ll come back in a moment.
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