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Khanna Says Trump vs. Google Is a ‘Dumb Fight to Pick’

President says searches are programmed to show only ‘Fake News Media’

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., walks up the House steps for a vote in the Capitol on Nov. 9, 2017. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., walks up the House steps for a vote in the Capitol on Nov. 9, 2017. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said it would be a bad idea for President Donald Trump to get into a fight with Google after the president said the company treated him unfairly.

Khanna, whose district includes Silicon Valley, told Time it is a “dumb fight to pick.”

“The thing about Google, Facebook and Twitter is that everyone needs them including Trump,” Khanna said.

Khanna’s remarks come after Trump tweeted criticism of the search engine on Tuesday, saying it was programmed to return “only the viewing/reporting of Fake New Media.”

Trump later threatened the media company, saying it was “really treading on very, very troubled territory” and said Facebook, Twitter and Google “better be careful.”

Khanna noted Trump’s Twitter habits, saying he is “the greatest user of social media.”

And he said that moves against the tech giants could hurt the booming economy that he boasts of — often on Twitter.

“He recognizes that Silicon Valley fuels the stock market he brags about,” Khanna said. 

Trump’s threats come as the heads of all three technology companies are slated to testify before the Senate next week. 

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and Larry Page, the CEO of Google’s parent company Alphabet, will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee next Wednesday.

Dorsey will also testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee that day.

Watch: McCain vs. Trump: Can the President Give Up the Spotlight?

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John T. Bennett contributed to this report.

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