Dem reacts to DOGE worker's 'explicit racism' — and Vance's 'attack'

Jennifer Bowers Bahney

Feb. 11, 2025, 10:03 p.m.

Ro Khanna (D-CA), who represents Silicon Valley in Congress, unleashed on Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency employee caught up in a racism scandal that also drew in Vice President J.D. Vance.

Khanna appeared on CNN Tuesday with Boris Sanchez who made a point of asking about the racist comments that targeted people of Indian descent.

"I want to pivot and ask you about something else that Musk tweeted that was actually echoed by Vice President Vance," Sanchez began. "The Wall Street Journal found a social media account tied to a DOGE associate that had posted numerous racist remarks, among them one that I think may hit close to home for you. He wrote, quote, 'Normalize Indian hate.' You're, of course, the son of Indian immigrants. The staffer resigned and then was rehired, with Musk and Vance arguing that he should be forgiven for those posts. Do you forgive him, congressman?"

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Khanna answered, "Well, as you know, I had an exchange back and forth with the vice president on this. It's sad because I was born in Philadelphia. I grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the '70s and '80s, and I never experienced that kind of explicit racism."

Khanna posted on X last week addressing Vance, writing, "Are you going to tell him to apologize for saying 'Normalize Indian hate' before this rehire? Just asking for the sake of both of our kids."

Vance's wife Usha and their children are of Indian descent.

Khanna continued, "What I said to the vice president is, 'Okay, he's a 24-, 25-year-old kid. He's put, 'normalize Indian hate.' He's put that he wants to repeal the Civil Rights Act, that Dr. King fought for, on social media. If you're going to rehire him, ask him to retract those statements and apologize.' I didn't think that was asking too much. I was willing to extend grace to give this young man a second chance. But the vice president sort of unloaded at me, attacked me, said that I 'disgust' him, and he still has not answered whether this person has been rehired and whether he's going to retract those deeply offensive statements."

Watch the clip below via CNN.