Rep. Ro Khanna Defends Call to Arrest Netanyahu: ‘Not Talking About Americans Subject to Our Own Law’

Rep. Ro Khanna appeared on CBS’s “The Takeout” and laid out a clear position on International Criminal Court arrest warrants. “We should not allow people in our jurisdiction who have an arrest warrant by the ICC,” he said, with the exception of United Nations visits that follow separate rules.

Khanna applied the standard equally. “Now, my view on Netanyahu is the same as my view on Putin,” he stated. “If you have a warrant for your arrest by the ICC, and you’re coming here—not to the U.N., because the U.N. has its own rules—but you’re coming to the United States, then you should be arrested.”

He emphasized that the principle does not involve Americans. “They don’t have any American arrest warrants. This is not talking about Americans who are subject to our own law.” Khanna framed the stance as consistent international law rather than selective politics.

The comments add another layer to ongoing debates over the ICC’s authority and how the United States should treat foreign leaders subject to its warrants. How the principle would be enforced in practice is a question left open by the exchange.