Who?
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) — Co-author, Epstein discharge petition in US House
LISTEN: Laslo & Khanna
Ask a Pol asks:
We know your constituents in Silicon Valley are divided, but where do you land in the debate over digital currencies?
Key Khanna:
“I support a smart regulatory framework,” Rep. Ro Khanna exclusively tells Ask a Pol.
Some Silicon Valley folks are pretty dubious?
“Yeah,” Khanna says. “It’s split.”
ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s feature on Epstein politics
Caught our ear:
“He’s got the hubris of a second-term president on steroids,” Khanna tells us of President Donald Trump.
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Our new intro music comes from our Nashville — by way of Bowling Green, KY —brothers, the amazing Morning Teleportation. Cheers, gents!
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Ro Khanna (7-17-2025)
SCENE: A week before House Speaker Mike Johnson kicked off his chamber’s annual August recess early to avoid a vote on Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) discharge petition — which would force a vote on whether to release the Epstein files or not — Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo catches Khanna just off the House floor.
They start chatting crypto, which evolves into a conversation about uncomfortable — and unsettling — Epstein politics which almost derailed the bipartisan crypto and stablecoin measures that the House passed before leaving Washington until the fall.
Matt Laslo: “How are you?”
Ro Khanna: “Good.”
ML: “What are you — you’re not big into crypto and digital currencies are you?”
RK: “I mean I…”
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ML: “Have you weighed into it?”
RK: “I’m not into the — I mean I voted for these but…”
ML: “Yeah?”
RK: “...I’m not — I’m not a huge thing. I support a smart regulatory framework. I voted for some of the amendments that have been in order.”
ML: “Because you have constituents — I guess the crypto folks are spread all over? Some Silicon Valley folks are dubious, right?”
RK: “Huh?”
ML: “Some Silicon Valley folks are pretty dubious?”
RK: “Yeah. It’s split.”
ML: “Yeah, right?”
RK: “It’s split.”
Khanna and Laslo are talking after far-right Freedom Caucus members derailed a couple procedural votes on digital currencies earlier in the week.
ML: “Do you think this is good to get through this long jam? Or was it fun watching Republicans grind this place to a close again?”
RK: “I think a lot of it is on the Epstein stuff. They don’t want the discharge — Massie and my discharge petition…”
ML: “Yeah. Oh really?”
RK: “…coming up, because if — that's why they're thinking of adjourning. Otherwise, seven days — if you're in seven days, they'll be forced to vote on it.”
ML: “What are you make of this — I was just re-watching and re-watching Trump last night, like, you really called them ‘stupid people’ — like the people who listened to you?”
RK: “I think he’s got the hubris of a second-term president on steroids.”
ML: “Have you — do you think there might be a backlash that some of these more MAGA Republicans might sign onto your bill [petition] because of that?”
RK: “Massie has been doing great. I mean, he’s been getting a lot of…”
ML: “Yeah?”
RK: “…lot of Republicans. We’ve had eight of them sign on, so…”
ML: “What do you think that change shows. Is that just…?”
RK: “Well I think the Epstein issue is a real issue…”
ML: “Yeah/”
RK: “...in this space. They don’t want rich, powerful people protected.”
ML: “But that’s where Trump’s now out of line with...”
RK: “Yeah — it's the first time he's facing an internal rebellion on his own base.”
ML: “Do you think you’ll…?”
Khanna motions that he needs to go back on the House floor to vote.
RK: “I’ve gotta…”
ML: “Do you think you’ll hit the discharge pre-August?”
RK: “Yeah. We already have. We already have eight Republicans, and we’ll get every Democrat.”
ML: “When are you going to try and bring it to the floor?”
RK: “As soon as it ripens — seven days.”
ML: “So next week before you guys leave?”
RK: “Seven legislative days, so we have to see if we can get there before the recess.”
ML: “Are they going to try to bury it in committee again?”
RK: “I think what they're going to try to do is run out the clock to have recess.”
ML: “But you guys are gonna fight it?”
RK: “Yes.”
ML: “I’ll be watching. ‘Preciate ya!”
Spencer Newman contributed to this report.
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