Fear Of Trump Backlash Caused Her Firing By Instacart, Says Candidate Lisa Khanna

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India-West News Desk

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Long before she entered politics, Lisa Vedernikova Khanna learned how fragile opportunity can be.

Raised by a single mother who fled Soviet Russia and spent years undocumented in the United States, Khanna grew up watching her parent build a small business while navigating life on the margins. By her early teens, Khanna was juggling multiple jobs to help make ends meet, a routine she continued through college. That trajectory, she says, is what pushed her toward public service and ultimately a run for Congress.

Now, Khanna alleges that the decision cost her a job.

In a lawsuit filed December 14 in San Francisco Superior Court, the former Instacart executive claims the grocery delivery company fired her because it feared political backlash tied to her Democratic policy positions. Khanna, who is running for Congress in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, had served as chief of staff to Instacart’s chief corporate affairs officer since early 2023 and was terminated in June, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit alleges that Instacart initially approved her plan to run for office. That approval was later reversed, Khanna contends, after company leaders reviewed her campaign website and took issue with her stated support for abortion rights and gun control.

According to the filing, company officials concluded that the risk of Republican criticism and scrutiny from a Trump administration outweighed Khanna’s right to seek elected office. Within hours of the review, the company told her she could not continue her congressional campaign while remaining employed, citing internal rules and policies. Less than two weeks later, she was fired, the suit alleges, explicitly because of her policy views.

The allegations were first reported by The Washington Post.

Instacart strongly disputes the claims. In a statement provided to CNBC, a company spokesperson said Khanna’s separation from the company had nothing to do with politics.When she announced her congressional bid, the company offered alternatives, including a leave of absence or a paid consulting arrangement during the campaign, according to the statement.

Khanna’s legal team paints a different picture, arguing that her case reflects a broader corporate pattern following President Donald Trump’s return to office.

Her attorneys said companies across corporate America have gone out of their way to avoid conflict with the Trump administration and to maintain favorable relationships with federal power centers. The lawsuit alleges that Instacart, under then chief executive Fidji Simo, took steps after the 2024 election to strengthen ties with Trump aligned figures, including sending a congratulatory gift to Ivanka Trump and donating $100,000 to Trump’s inaugural fund while seeking access to senior administration associates.

Khanna argues that her firing violated California laws protecting employee political activity and amounted to wrongful termination in violation of public policy. She is seeking a jury trial, punitive damages and compensation for emotional distress and lost income.

Khanna is married to Harry Khanna, a lawyer who has been affiliated with the Democratic National Committee. The couple were married in a gurdwara in New York.