How Ro Khanna Built the Bipartisan Vote That 'Ripped MAGA Apart'

The House voted 427-1 to release the Jeffrey Epstein files — a margin more often seen on ceremonial measures than on what many observers called a major rebuke to Trump-aligned forces. Survivors of Epstein, seated together in the gallery, applauded as lawmakers from both parties joined the near-unanimous vote.

At the center of the effort was Rep. Ro Khanna, the 47-year-old Silicon Valley Democrat who helped engineer a coalition that included unlikely GOP partners such as Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The result reflected long-standing cross-party relationships and careful political maneuvering designed to minimize partisan visibility so Republicans would feel comfortable signing on.

Strategy and unlikely alliances

Khanna and Massie co-sponsored a discharge petition that forced the vote after months of quiet outreach and negotiation. Khanna deliberately downplayed the Democratic role to attract Republican support — a tactic that paid off. He also cultivated personal connections: he said he had barely known Greene before the effort but held back public attacks, opting instead to communicate privately. Khanna even engineered small, practical moves on the House floor — including handing a petition to Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert so she could sign without waiting in line — that helped secure crucial signatures.

"It feels like you can make a difference in Congress," Khanna said, framing the vote as proof that sustained engagement and relationship-building can win results.

Why the files mattered to him

Khanna said his involvement began as a critique of an elite class he calls out under his "economic patriotism" agenda. But meetings with survivors changed his calculus. He described the encounters as "emotionally horrific" — accounts of guilt, coercion and trauma that convinced him the public release of records was necessary for accountability and healing.

He acknowledged regret for not acting sooner and said he had once discussed the files with the late Rep. Elijah Cummings. "Had I met the survivors in 2019 or 2020," Khanna said, "I would have been more vocal earlier."

Reception and wider implications

Survivors and allies praised the bipartisan coalition. Haley Robson, an organizer of survivors, credited Khanna alongside Massie and Greene, saying their collaboration made the vote possible. Massie, reflecting on the effort, said their initial chance of success was low but that perseverance paid off.

Colleagues and collaborators noted Khanna's ability to move between ideological circles: he has ties to former administration officials, mainstream economists and far-right media figures, giving him a broad Rolodex he used to push the issue into public view. Khanna argued that media attention was essential to forcing a vote and that savvy public messaging can serve public-minded goals.

What’s next

Khanna said he is already discussing other bipartisan ideas, from restricting private equity purchases of single-family homes to exploring lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 55 and targeted taxes on extreme wealth — proposals he says could attract disaffected voters from the MAGA coalition. He warned that simply running anti-Trump messaging is not enough to build a lasting majority; instead, Democrats should address economic grievances and offer hopeful policy solutions.

Khanna also said he has not spoken with former President Trump since January 6, 2021, and does not know whether he will be invited to any signing ceremony if the president follows through on releasing the files. He expressed confidence that broad scrutiny from survivors' lawyers and former Justice Department officials would limit the risk of selective redactions.

Whether this episode boosts Khanna's national profile — he has discussed a long-shot 2028 presidential bid and frames himself as an architect of bipartisan progress — remains to be seen. For now, Khanna and his allies present the vote as a case study in how cross-party cooperation, survivor-driven advocacy, and media pressure combined to force accountability on a fraught and sensitive issue.