Republican readers should note how Rep. Ro Khanna’s West Bank episode looked more like a staged political performance than a genuine safety crisis, with footage and comments raising questions about coordination and motive.

Last Wednesday, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) traveled into a restricted area of the West Bank with a camera crew and a New York Times reporter, drawing immediate scrutiny. The trip took place on a road closed to civilians, and his presence there quickly turned into a media event rather than a standard congressional visit. From a Republican standpoint, the setup looked like a calculated move to manufacture drama for domestic consumption. The optics were awkward and predictable.

Khanna declined offers to meet with survivors of the October 7 attacks and skipped an embassy briefing about border security, choosing instead to place himself where confrontation was possible. Reporters and critics noted that he seemed intent on being detained or photographed during an incident, and the resulting footage fed that narrative. Observers argued the timing and handling made it seem like a stunt aimed at stoking anti-Israel sentiment back home while boosting Khanna’s own profile.

The video that was released didn’t match the violent language used by Khanna and his allies. What was promoted as a dramatic “hostage” scenario played out in a calm, controlled fashion on camera, which undermined the initial framing. The disconnect between the rhetoric and what actually happened left many skeptical about the motives behind the trip.

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Even some Democrats pushed back. New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer publicly criticized Khanna’s actions and tone, signaling bipartisan discomfort with how the episode was handled. The surprise from within Khanna’s own party underscored that this was not simply a partisan debate but a credibility issue for the congressman.

Israeli officials also flagged problems with how the trip was arranged. Ambassador Michael Leiter said that Khanna did not properly coordinate with Israeli authorities and instead worked with Palestinian activists and J Street, which raised red flags for diplomatic and security reasons. That lack of coordination meant Israeli officials felt blindsided and suggested the trip prioritized a message over meaningful fact-finding.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, before I let you go, there were two high-profile incidents I want to quickly touch on here. One, a CNN crew attacked in the West Bank by what they say were four settlers. There was also an incident with Ro Khanna, the congressman from California, who said he was his vehicles he was in were stopped by Israeli settlers, and then when the IDF showed up, they were on the side of the settlers, not him. He said “[i]t’s not a good idea to detain longshot presidential candidates”. It was a warning to your government. Do you think your government needs to apologize to both him and those CNN journalists?

MICHAEL LEITER: Any violence is to be condemned. No excuses, no explanations. Okay. So if CNN crew was attacked, that needs to be condemned, and I’m doing so right now. And we need to do a better job.

BRENNAN: You are condemning it [unint]–

LEITER: –If- if- if it was- actually took place as they’ve reported it, absolutely condemning it. We need to rein in violence on all sides. Now, in terms of Ro Khanna, we reached out to him when we heard he was going to Israel, the Israeli embassy here in Washington. As all congressmen do, they coordinate their trip with the Israeli government. We suggested he visit with- with survivors of the October 7th massacre. That he visit the borders, so he understands the, the issues that we have in our borders and so on. He ignored that and he decided to coordinate his trip not with Israel, but with Palestinian activists and with J Street, which is a anti-government, anti-Israeli government advocacy group here in Washington. So you know he coordinated–

BRENNAN: It’s a Jewish lobby group…

LEITER: Well, it’s–

BRENNAN: …that is supportive of a different path for Israel.

LEITER: Yeah, yeah. I- I play tennis once a year. That doesn’t make me a tennis player. The fact that they call themselves a Jewish organization is- is irrelevant. They’re- they’re- an advocacy group against the government of Israel. That has to be clear.

BRENNAN: The current government, Netanyahu government.

LEITER: Yes. Yes–

BRENNAN: That’s what you mean, the government you work for.

LEITER: And Congressman Khanna, there has been no secret about his antipathy towards the government of Israel as well. So perhaps if he would have coordinated the trip- and then you know to have this incident on Wednesday and wait to release it on Saturday, maybe this had more something to do with his support of- of Graham Platner beforehand and the difficulties he had with that, and trying to shift the focus to something else. Perhaps I’m asking a question.

BRENNAN: Well, we did hear from Congressman Khanna, who said that there was an alert to the embassy on his behalf, and that they asked for the news…

LEITER: –There was not, there was not–

BRENNAN: …to be held until he had left the country, as well.

LEITER: There was a question. There was not an alert. There was a question about visas. That’s all. But when we requested that he coordinate the trip with us, he rejected that by basically staying silent. So that’s unfortunate. This whole incident is unfortunate. And if- if somebody, it’s kind of interesting that somebody wants to declare a presidential run by running off to Israel? Not strange?

BRENNAN: Well, we’re going to have to leave it there, sir. There’s so much more to talk about with you, but I’m out of time. Thank you for coming.

Critics called the whole episode “cooked” and questioned the timing of the video’s release. On Monday, Khanna faced follow-up questions about the detention and the circumstances around it. The answers did not close the credibility gap for many observers, leaving more political fallout than clarity.