By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., defended Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., during a Fox News appearance, arguing that renewed scrutiny of her citizenship is politically motivated and intended to discourage criticism of President Donald Trump.
Khanna, who is serving his fifth term representing California’s Silicon Valley, characterized the questioning of Omar’s citizenship as part of a broader pattern of targeting political opponents for their views.
“Speaking up, none of this would happen in our country,” Khanna said. “Republicans used to complain about targeting people because of their views.”
Khanna serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where he is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems. He also serves on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. He previously chaired the Oversight Committee’s environmental subcommittee.
Beyond his congressional work, Khanna has focused on economic policy, technology and expanding economic opportunities beyond Silicon Valley.
He is the author of two books examining the American economy: “Entrepreneurial Nation: Why Manufacturing Is Still Key to America’s Future,” published in 2012, and “Dignity in a Digital Age,” published in 2022 and republished in paperback as “Progressive Capitalism” in 2023.
His writing advocates policies designed to distribute the benefits of technological innovation more broadly, particularly to rural communities and regions outside major technology hubs.
Khanna has also participated in public discussions about the future of artificial intelligence alongside Nvidia founder Jensen Huang, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and author Naomi Klein.
