Ro Khanna: The Indian-origin Democrat behind the Epstein vote that broke Maga

Earlier this week, the US House of Representatives voted to release the Epstein files. The vote, which passed 427-1, was then sent to the US Senate, which also cleared the bill and sent it to US President Donald Trump.

Trump, who has been under increasing pressure to release the files after initially refusing to do so, has now signed the release of all the documents pertaining to the late disgraced financier and sex offender that have not been classified.

Trump had previously claimed it was a “Democrat-led hoax” and even rebuffed members of the Maga movement demanding their release, saying he no longer wanted their support. For the many victims of Epstein, this day has been too long in coming. And behind it all is one man – Indian-origin Democrat Ro Khanna.

But what do we know about Khanna? How did he engineer the vote that splintered the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement?

Early years

Khanna was born on 13 September 1976, in Philadelphia into a middle-class family. Both his parents migrated to the US from India in the 1970s. Khanna’s father is a chemical engineer and his mother is a substitute school teacher. Khanna’s grandfather was a freedom fighter who participated in Mahatma Gandhi’s independence movement and worked with Lala Lajpat Rai. Because of this, he was jailed by the British for several years.

Khanna’s childhood was typically middle class. He attended Council Rock High School in Newtown before going to the University of Chicago, from where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in economics. Khanna then went on to do a law degree from Yale University.

However, even during his student days, Khanna was eager to participate in politics. During his stint at the University of Chicago, he participated in Barack Obama’s first campaign – a race for the Illinois Senate in 1996. Khanna would go on to teach economics at Stanford University, law at Santa Clara University as an adjunct professor, and American Jurisprudence at San Francisco State University. Khanna would also open a private practice as a lawyer, where he specialised in intellectual property law.

Khanna has written two books: Entrepreneurial Nation: Why Manufacturing Is Key to America’s Future (2012) and Dignity In A Digital Age (2022). Khanna married Ritu Ahuja on 29 August 2015. The couple have two children and live in California’s Fremont.

Dive into politics

In 2004, Khanna, at just age 28, ran his first political campaign – attempting to become a member of the 109th Congress in the 12th Congressional District. Unfortunately, Khanna lost his race. However, that was not the end of his political ambitions.

Khanna would go on to serve as the deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Commerce during the first Obama administration. In 2012, Khanna was appointed to the California workforce development board by then California Governor Jerry Brown.

In 2014, Khanna attempted to run for election to the US Congress again, taking on long-time Democrat incumbent Mike Honda in the 17th District. Unfortunately, Khanna came up short in his second attempt – again against Honda, who had held the seat, which represents much of Silicon Valley, since 2001.

However, in 2016, when Khanna ran for Congress the third time – his second attempt against Honda – he finally prevailed. Khanna has held onto the seat for the 17th Congressional District for nearly the past decade.

Khanna is an unabashed progressive, focusing on issues of campaign finance reform, the environment, clean energy, term limits for Supreme Court judges, and pushing forward science and technology.

Khanna holds a number of positions in Congress, including Chair of the Oversight Subcommittee on the Environment and a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, and Armed Services Committees. Khanna is also the Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, an Assistant Whip for the Democratic Caucus. He is also Democratic Vice Chair of the House Caucus on Indian Americans. Colloquially known as the ‘Samosa Caucus’, this represents a growing number of Indian-Americans in the US Congress.

The Epstein vote

The vote on the Epstein files, which ‘tore Maga apart’ as per Marjorie Taylor Greene, was pushed by none other than Khanna and Republican Representative Thomas Massie. He and Massie previously worked together to stop US military support for Saudi Arabia over the war with Yemen.

The two men, in a rare show of bipartisanship, co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The bill received support from even the most ardent Maga-world figures, including Greene herself. Khanna and Massie, whom Trump has vowed to unseat in Congress, had also circulated a discharge petition in the House, which required 218 signatures, to force leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, to vote on the bill – which was ultimately successful.

Greene wasn’t the only Maga-world figure Khanna reached out to. In September, he also sought the support of Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert.
Khanna, on the morning of the vote, tried to play down his role in it, saying, “It feels like you can make a difference in Congress.”

Like other Indian-American politicians – Bobby Jindal, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy – Khanna may be eyeing greater aspirations. Prior to the 2024 election, there were reports that Khanna was considering a bid for the US presidency – if Biden chose not to run.

With the 2028 Democratic nomination wide open, Khanna could very well be a strong contender. He’s already said to be talking to Greene about preventing equity funds from buying family homes – which is becoming a greater subject of debate in US political circles. Obama is also said to keep a close eye on Khanna.

“I make no secret about wanting to be part of shaping the national future of the Democratic Party of this country. I make no secret about the fact that I believe I have the best economic vision for this nation,” Khanna told CNN.

“The knock on me from some — I mean, there are many knocks on me — but one of the knocks on me has always been: ‘Okay, Ro, you can write books on this, you can write op-eds on this, but can you really, brass tacks, get things done?’ And it’s easier if you’re a mayor or a governor or a Cabinet member to show you can get things done. And what this is showing is, you know what? On one of the biggest things, which is getting Maga on board, it’s not just ideas. I’m able to get things done.”

Can Khanna do what no other Indian-Americans have done before him and rise to the Oval Office? Time will tell.

With inputs from agencies