Bartiromo Humiliates Ro Khanna in Crushing On-Air Takedown on Iran
Visibly incredulous, Bartiromo fired back: “Congressman, you’re talking fantasy.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) should have known better than to walk onto Maria Bartiromo’s set on Fox Business and try to rewrite history. Instead, the California congressman found himself steamrolled in a bruising on-air exchange. All bets were off after his insistence that former President Barack Obama “delivered” on Iran.
Pressed by Bartiromo on whether he truly believed Obama’s leadership on Iran was better than President Donald Trump’s, Khanna replied, “Yes.”
Despite his repeated interruptions, Bartiromo presented him with some inconvenient facts:
Because under President Obama, there were 14 wire transfers to a — hold on, hold on. There were 14 wire transfers to a Swiss account linked to Hezbollah between 2014 and 2016. That was a total of $1.7 billion.
The same $1.7 billion he told Congress was frozen Iranian assets. Now, there was a back channel to Tehran through Valerie Jarrett — active from 2012 to 2024.
This was after he left office. So, you know, it was almost like a shadow government. He also sent pallets of cash in a plane to Iran.
Now, why would you send money to Iran knowing that they are building a nuclear weapon and they are the leading sponsor of terrorism?
Unable to deny her account, Khanna pivoted. “Barack Obama was a great statesman who left America much safer,” he said. “I wouldn’t put Donald Trump in the same paragraph.”
He then recited a peculiar set of talking points:
The reality is that when President Obama left, because of the great efforts of people like Valerie Jarrett, we had 97% of the enriched uranium out.
The reality is we didn’t have 13 American service members dead.
The reality is we never had gas go up from $2.30 to $4.
The reality is we didn’t give China more role in the region.
Not quite sure why Khanna raised the issue of the 13 American service members killed during former President Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Nor is it clear why he would praise a polarizing figure like Valerie Jarrett.
His economic claims were also way off the mark. Prior to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.98, not $2.30. And if anything, the war has weakened China’s influence in the region.
Bartiromo tried to interject, but Khanna continued:
We didn’t give the IRGC a more hardline regime in there.
You know why. Because Obama actually did his homework. He actually tried to engage in statesmanship. He had gotten China, Russia, the entire European allies on board with getting Iran on a path to not having a nuclear weapon. [What?]
All Trump did is listen to Netanyahu. That’s his entire foreign policy. And you know what, I resent the fact that Israel is going to tell the United States what to do. The American president should call the shots in this country.
Bartiromo took the opening. She agreed that the president should be the one calling the shots and said, “You and your colleagues are trying to clip his wings right now with this war powers vote, right?”
“Look, a lot of what you just said simply isn’t true,” she added bluntly.
Khanna appeared visibly rattled. He pushed back, insisting her characterization was “not true.”
Clearly frustrated, Bartiromo shot back: “What’s not true?”
He began to spin rapidly through more talking points. Khanna argued that the U.S. had been on a path toward a denuclearized Iran [under Obama], but that Israel and AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) had “dragged us into another war.”
Bartiromo pointed out that every president since Bill Clinton has maintained that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon.
“And one president delivered. And that was Barack Obama,” Khanna shot back.
“No, that’s not true,” Bartiromo replied. “Not one of them did anything about it.”
“Barack Obama is the only one who delivered,” Khanna repeated.
Incredulous, Bartiromo fired back: “Congressman, you’re talking fantasy.”
“97 percent out,” Khanna insisted.
But Bartiromo wasn’t having it. “Obama did nothing about it. You’re talking fantasy. Obama did nothing about it. Other than send money to the Iranians.”
“Not true,” he replied. “Obama got the whole world [behind the effort to end Iran’s nuclear program]. He didn’t send money to them. That’s just factually false. He unfroze Iranian assets, but he had the whole world behind us.”
I suppose we should give Khanna some credit for agreeing to an interview on Fox. Still, after years of gentle treatment from sympathetic interviewers, he appeared soft and entirely out of his depth once confronted with real scrutiny.
FOX: "Are you suggesting that Obama's leadership on Iran was better?"
KHANNA: "Yes, I am"
FOX: "Under President Obama there were 14 wire transfers to a Swiss account linked to Hezbollah…he also sent pallets of cash in a plane…"
KHANNA: “Barack Obama was a great statesman" pic.twitter.com/K6umiuETtV
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 20, 2026
Here is the full version of their exchange:
MARIA BARTIROMO UNLEASHES ON OBAMA
“Obama did NOTHING about it…other than send money to the Iranians”
Ro Khanna peddles the fantasy Iran-deal lie. Obama didn’t stop nukes…HE FUNDED IT
President Trump’s is the one who actually delivered. The Democrats are Pathological Liars… pic.twitter.com/IRN5OCTSTd
— Liz Churchill (@liz_churchill10) April 20, 2026
Democrats can disagree with the war, but facts still matter. On her Saturday program, Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany laid out an accurate timeline of the Obama administration’s dealings with the Iranian regime. Far from ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions, they allowed Tehran to preserve and legitimize key elements of its nuclear program, providing the regime with a pathway — albeit a delayed one — to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
In the end, this exchange wasn’t just a clash of opinions — it was a test of credibility. And Khanna struggled to defend a narrative that simply didn’t hold up. His version of events was just as Bartiromo said — a fantasy. That approach might fly in friendlier venues, but across from a veteran journalist like Maria Bartiromo, it fell apart.
🚨 BREAKING: Barack Hussein Obama and Joe Biden have been EXPOSED for putting the entire world at risk due to propping up Iran
KAYLEIGH MCENANY: "A $400 million cash transfer was FLOWN out to Iran…400 million was just the tip of the iceberg. One month later, the Wall Street… pic.twitter.com/ewk5RZwklL
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 14, 2026
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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Comments
Khanna is utterly vile and wicked, as well as brazenly dishonest. Attempting to engage in revisionist history regarding narcissist-incompetent-dunce, Obama’s, obsequious, deferential, stupid and treasonous appeasement of, clandestine funding of and footsie games played with Iran’s genocidal, Islamofascist/terrorist despots.
No; Obama’s moronic and worthless Iran “deal” wasn’t indicative of cunning statesmanship — it was emblematic of Obama’s and the Dhimmi-crats’ destructive, tactically foolish and morally indefensible accommodation of, and enabling of, Muslim terrorists and despots.
What, Massie’s best ‘bipartisan’ buddy is a moron leftist just spewing other moron leftist talking points?
Perish the thought!
Meh, in politics you work with who you can find, even otherwise distasteful ones as temporary allies of convenience, to get larger goals across the finish line. Getting the entire Congress to vote in favor of the legislation for transparency on Epstein material (- Rep Clay Higgins) and getting President Trump to sign it into law was worthwhile.
No secrecy and No amnesty for anyone who ‘hung around’ Epstein/Maxwell post the ’07 conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor child/trafficking in prostitution. Their name in there doesn’t necessarily mean they did anything other than demonstrate incredibly bad judgement by seeking some relationship from Epstein financial or otherwise but they shouldn’t be shielded. Drain the swamp definitely applies here. Name and shame.
Ro needs to row his ass back to India. Actually he can go anywhere as long as it is NOT here. And he can take that ugly bitch Jayapal with him.
(Yes Milhouse I know he was born in Philadelphia. I don’t care. He and his ilk are a clear and present danger to this country and he should be elsewhere causing trouble and not here.)
To be fair, Ro Khanna is a pretty low bar for ‘humiliates’
Ro is cut from the same cloth as Swalwell and Schiff for brains. This is the problem with almost all congressman and senators, they do not know how to debate. They can only recite talking points. Both demonrats and Republicans. Why you may ask? Because there is no debate in Congress or the Senate. Reciting talking points is not debate. All they do is try and have a clip that can be used for fundraising.
Aside from the black caucus the democrats from CA are particularly bad,
“they do not know how to debate. They can only recite talking points”
Our government is so massively bloated, and so minutely involved with so many unconstitutional, undelegated facets of our lives, that it’s a marvel to me that a human being can even PRETEND to be informed about all of it.
Exactly! People whine a out the ‘imperial presidency’ or Trump overreach when the real problem is Congress ceded much of its power to the Executive branch. Yank it back to Congress and I guarantee the size/scope of the Federal govt will drastically shrink as members of Congress drop dead from exhaustion trying to set all the agency rules, make decisions about discretion and so on. Congress doesn’t want to do the work required much less be held accountable for directly doing unpopular things.
“Ro is cut from the same cloth as Swalwell and Schiff for brains.”
Ro also has schiff for brains.
“Not quite sure why Khanna raised the issue of the 13 American service members killed during former President Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Nor is it clear why he would praise a polarizing figure like Valerie Jarrett.
His economic claims were also way off the mark. Prior to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.98, not $2.30.”
Typical democrat stupidity comes to mind, along with a compulsion to lie.
Khanna was obviously referring to the 13 service members killed during the Iran action: https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/04/08/pentagon-data-13-us-troops-killed-346-wounded-in-operation-epic-fury/
Don’t be a sucker
God bless Maria! If that had been Sharon Bream she would have let him spew his lies for twenty minutes and NEVER challenged him on one thing! I have no idea what her show is supposed to be but it isn’t journalism!
The sad thing about these people like Khanna is that they believe the crap that they put out. He actually believes that Biden was tougher on Iran than Trump is! Biden couldn’t find Iran on a map!
I agree. Sharon Bream never challenges anyone on anything. … I go back and forth with whether they believe what they say or if they know they’re lying. … I think they know they’re lying.
Perhaps you should put aside your smug satisfaction in your piece here.
“Not quite sure why Khanna raised the issue of the 13 American service members killed during former President Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.”
Khanna was obviously speaking about the war with Iran: https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/04/08/pentagon-data-13-us-troops-killed-346-wounded-in-operation-epic-fury/
If you edict your piece, at least acknowledge it in an overt way. That is what a real journalist would do …
I’ll have to take your word for it about Sharon. I never hear what she’s saying because I end up staring with my mouth open, dreaming about running off with her. She is a doll.
Shannon not Sharon but yeah she’s a very attractive lady and not just ‘for her age’ (56) but a smoke show period. Smart women who can communicate without being condescending/catty/confrontational have always been sexy IMO.
I can’t even tell the TRUTH on my feet as glibly as this guy can spin lies. He’s like a human fiber channel.
It’s not a lie if you believe it.
TDS
Hate rules.
Obama’s deal with Iran was that Iran would be allowed to continue its nuclear weapons program but on a slightly slower time table. In exchange, he gave the $1.7 Billion in cash and lifted all sanctions- which netted them >$500 Billion in profits.
It absolutely guaranteed that Iran would have nuclear weapons and ICBM’s to deliver them, just that this wouldn’t happen until three years after Obama left office.
Literally the same deal, by the same negotiator, that Clinton made with North Korea. Which Clinton, and every western liberal, proclaimed would prevent them getting nuclear weapons.
If Hillary had won, or if Trump hadn’t immediately scrapped the deal and reimposed sanctions, Iran would have been a nuclear power by the end if 2019 – and most likely would have celebrated by nuking Tel Aviv.
Iran was a week away from having nuclear weapons, by its own admission (boasting, really) when Trump launched Operation Epic Fury to prevent it.
Ro Khanna is just another lying Leftist. He works hard to make it appear that he is what he claims, which is a “moderate” Democrat willing to reach across the aisle to work with Republicans who really want to cooperate and make deals. In fact, he is just another Communist calling himself a “moderate” and trying to con us by often appearing on Fox and not just CNN and the other Leftist propaganda networks.
I had hoped that the writer would have known that Khanna was referring to the (so far) 13 Americans killed in *this* war.
Because she’s a partisan hack,
even that forlorn hope lies dying on the floor. (TBH. I suspect that she knew and made the statement anyway. It turns out that some “conservative” writers are no more honest than the progressive ones.)
While 13 Americans were killed in the Afghan withdrawal zero American service members have been killed there since then so far as I know.
Mercutio was right.
A pox on both your houses.
I used to have some respect for Ro much like I do Bernie. I oppose all of their positions but I thought they were at least honest about them. I no longer think that about Ro. Bernie is still a communist and up front about it.
I would rather have a man of action, than a statesman like Obama, any day of the week. Biden’s cut and run policy was a disaster causing deaths of our warriors. Democrat’s are the party of mental illness.