Days before the scandal engulfed Matt Gaetz’s career, Democratic MP Ro Khanna went to Fox News to boast about his unlikely friendship with the MAGA congressman and claim that the duo “even leaves”.
This week, however, as Gaetz faces a legal and political crisis, Khanna appears to have cooled off in their friendship.
Gaetz and Khanna have been singled out as an example of bipartisanship during the Trump era, with the pair appearing several times together in various media to demonstrate their connection. Last year, for example, HBO’s political documentary The swamp showed the two working to prevent the White House from waging war with Iran. During the summer, Khanna publicly appealed to Gaetz to “to get together”To prevent an amendment that would prevent the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
And on March 25, Khanna appeared remotely alongside Gaetz in Fox News Primetime for a double interview specifically focused on his relationship with the Florida Republican. “How do you explain how you like this guy? You told me off camera that you get along with Matt, ”asked host Brian Kilmeade.
“We get along well,” replied Khanna. “We work on common issues. We work to take money from the policy’s PAC. We both believe that lobbyists shouldn’t run this place. We both believe that we shouldn’t be in foreign wars. “
He added: “Obviously, we disagree on the issues, but in fact we engage in dialogue. We even left. “
Days later, Gaetz found himself at the center of a major sex scandal, which includes an ongoing federal investigation into allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel across state borders with him. Gaetz also allegedly showed nude images of his sexual partners to fellow legislators on Capitol Hill.
And so, during an interview on Sunday afternoon, CNN host Jim Acosta raised the charges against Gaetz and referred to Khanna telling Fox about his friendship with his pro-Trump colleague, asking the progressive congressman: “I’m sure that you are horrified by these accusations against your friend. What do you think of all this? Does it seem consistent with the Matt Gaetz you know? “
Khanna firmly stated that he was “shocked” and “disturbed” by the allegations. And then he started to move away from referring to Gaetz as a friend.
“And I never had any interaction with Matt Gaetz outside the Capitol,” said Khanna. “Obviously, I totally condemn him if he shared any of these pictures with anyone. I mean that it should be investigated, as the speaker said, with the ethics department. “
Khanna also downplayed his relationship with Gaetz in Congress, saying that while he has worked with Gaetz on some issues, he has also partnered “with many Republicans” on these issues before.
Acosta asked if Khanna had spoken to Gaetz since the allegations became public and whether he heard about the Florida lawmaker sharing nude photos on the House floor, which led Khanna to further widen the chasm between him and Gaetz.
“It certainly wasn’t knowledge for me,” exclaimed the California congressman. “I don’t know if it was knowledge for others. But I was shocked by that. And I obviously didn’t speak to him or reach out, nor do I intend to do so. I mean, the allegations were quite shocking. “
In response to this story, Khanna provided the following statement to The Daily Beast: “I am shocked and outraged by the news that we learned last week. Although bipartisanship is an increasingly rare concept in our policy, it is important to build coalitions to do anything. The people of the 17th Congressional District elected me to solve problems, including the end of our eternal wars. “
“To that end, I have developed professional working relationships with several members across the corridor to deliver results to the American people,” added the congressman. “In Congress, we don’t choose our colleagues, which means that we have to work with whoever is elected by the voters. But, in light of the serious allegations that have come to light, there is obviously a need for a thorough investigation and the appropriate legal and ethical consequences. “