Rep. Ro Khanna said he’s hesitant Michele Flournoy would be the best choice to run the Pentagon, given her past support for escalating U.S. military presence in foreign countries.
On Tuesday, the California Democrat told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham that he’s concerned Flournoy has supported policies that have been costly for the nation and added that there has to be increased recognition of China as the top global threat.
“She was for an escalation in Afghanistan, she was for Iraq, she was for Syria,” Khanna said. “These policies have cost us trillions of dollars. China hasn’t been in a war since 1979. We’ve been in 40 wars. If we view China as our biggest strategic competitor in the 21st century, then these policies aren’t what’s going to allow America to compete and win.”
Flournoy supported the war in Iraq & Libya, criticized Obama on Syria, and helped craft the surge in Afghanistan. I want to support the President’s picks. But will Flournoy now commit to a full withdrawal from Afghanistan & a ban on arms sales to the Saudis to end the Yemen war?
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) November 23, 2020
Flournoy, the former undersecretary of defense for policy, has been floated as a top contender to be President-elect Joe Biden’s defense secretary. The 59-year-old has come under fire by some far-left lawmakers over her corporate ties, but she remains one of Biden’s top candidates.
Other potential choices could be retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, former head of the U.S. Central Command, Jeh Johnson, the former secretary of homeland security, and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran and longtime vocal supporter of Biden.
Flournoy’s candidacy could make her the first woman to run the Pentagon, a move consistent with Biden’s history-making choices to run other departments.
Khanna added that he supported President Trump in removing troops from Afghanistan and reducing the global presence of the U.S. military.
“I supported President Trump in getting the troops out of Afghanistan. I’ve supported President Trump saying that we do not need the troop presence in Germany. There is a consensus that we are spread out too far, and this is not in our national security,” Khanna said.
