Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) on "Face the Nation" | Mar. 03

Interview

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"Good morning.

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Thank you, Margaret.

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Yes, Margaret, there should. I mean we should make it clear that we're not going to continue to transfer weapons, as I asked Secretary Austin at the hearing.

But, Margaret, look –

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He – he did not, but even you could tell from his testimony that he was concerned, that we were continuing to transfer aid.

Look, we can't transfer weapons. We can't continue to transfer weapons while we're transferring aid. That policy doesn't make sense.

Here's the thing. Look, the killing of over 100 Palestinians who were simply going to a food truck to get food, whether by a stampede or by shooting, we don't know all the facts, there should be an investigation, but that has shocked the conscience of the world. And my plea to this president, who I support deeply, is, Mr. President, call for a permanent cease-fire, there's too much suffering, and the release of all hostages. The policy of bear-hugging Netanyahu has not worked. Reach out to some of the former Obama officials, like Ben Rhodes, Tommy Whiter (ph), who have been saying we need a new directional policy, we need a permanent cease- fire, release of hostages, we need to call for a Palestinian state, a summit with our gulf allies. The current policy is not working.

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Yes. You know who was? President Obama.

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And he won two terms. And, you know, Ben Rhodes -

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Well, look, Ben Rhodes actually - he texted me this picture of Wisconsin in 2012 with the – two days before the election, and they were a sea of young people out there, a – hundreds of thousands of young people. We need that base.

I don't think in the head-to-head polling this is the issue that is showing up. But I'll tell you, this is an issue for activists, this is an issue for organizers, this is an issue for young folks, and this is going to be a turnout direction. And right now they want a new, moral direction for our nation and for what's going on.

Everyone agrees Hamas is a terrorist organization. What they did on October 7th is brutal. It should be condemned unequivocally. But the point is now, it's time to get a permanent cease-fire and release of the hostages. And the president can do it. With one call he can do it.

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Proudly.

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He misspoke. I just misspoke earlier when I said we need to stop transferring weapons. I said aid. I mean people misspeak on television. He misspoke. He misspoke.

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Look, I - I - I – here's the thing. I - I have been very direct in criticizing the president's policy in the Middle East. I have spoken with the president. He is fully coherent. He is on top of details when I have talked to him just a couple of weeks ago.

My view is, let's focus on policy, let's focus on saving lives, and he'll have the opportunity to make the case about his age to the American people. But I have confidence in that part of it. I believe he'll – what he needs to do is to - to stop the killing, the suffering.

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There are efforts on uncommitted in California and a number other Super Tuesday states and in Wisconsin.

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It's significant. I don't think - look, the president's winning overwhelmingly, and I don't think – in the primaries, and I don't think this is going to affect his vote total, but it is going to affect his turnout and base.

But, Margaret, this is not just a political issue. This is a humanitarian catastrophe and Secretary Austin said over 25,000 dead. Our weapons are going there. There's starvation that's taking place. There are reports that 58,000 more Palestinian dead within six months if we don't have a cease- fire. The president can get this done.

The disagreement is Hamas wants a four-and-a-half month wait. Bibi Netanyahu doesn't want to have that long a cease-fire. Get – have the president in there, get it done, become a peacemaker, recognize a Palestinian state, a two-state solution. And I - I think he can and I think he can win back young people.

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He has them and he can call for a cease-fire. He can stop protecting them at the U.N. There are a lot of levers -

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And I'm hoping after this morning he'll - he'll move in the direction of - of taking a new approach.

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And that's why I think he needs to do something bold.

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This is - this is a problem. But if he can turn it around, not just by calling for a cease-fire, if he becomes the first American president to convene Gulf allies, to convene Israel, to convene municipal leaders in Palestine and civic society and said, I'm going to get this done, I'm going to recognize a Palestinian state, I'm going to have a two-state solution, and I'm going to recognize that the security of Israel matters but the end of occupation matters, he can become a hero. And this is – look, the president has had an amazing public service career. My plea to him, forget electoral politics, do this for people in the Middle East. It will be a capstone to his legacy. I hope he'll meet with some of the progressive members of Congress to make that case to him.

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Thank you."

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