Headlines

Ocasio-Cortez Wants Republicans Held to Account for Jan. 6 Attack

Reuters/Inquirer.net Los Angeles / 08:43 AM February 02, 2021

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described being terrified for her life during the storming of the U.S. Capitol in an emotional broadcast on Monday night, doubling down on calls for Republican politicians held accountable.

New York House member Ocasio-Cortez said she was harassed by those she identified as fans of former President Donald Trump for days before the Jan. 6 incident and warned by other Congress members to be “careful” on the day of the rally.

That day, Ocasio-Cortez said on an Instagram Live broadcast, she hid behind a bathroom door in her office, fearing for her life.

She evacuated with a staffer to another building, added, and scrambled to get into a colleague’s office, where she hid for hours.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

In a 90-minutes Instagram live @AOC for the first time said she is a sexual assault survivor and told in detail her traumatic experience in the Capitol on Jan. 6. She also compared Cruz and Hawley's to abusers trying to silence their victims. More coming: https://t.co/wc1Desfph6

— Jaclyn Peiser (@jackiepeiser) February 2, 2021

The Congresswoman equated Republican calls to move on from the incident, in which five died, and dozens of police were injured, to other forms of abuse.

“The reason I’m getting emotional at this moment is that these folks who tell us to move on, that it’s not a big deal, that we should forget what’s happened, or even telling us to apologize, these are the same tactics of abusers,” she said.

“And I’m a survivor of sexual assault, and I haven’t told many people that in my life.”

Several Congressional committees are investigating the security failures behind the attacks.

Ocasio-Cortez, known to her fans as AOC, is among the Democrats calling for Republicans who encouraged and repeated Trump’s lie that he had won the Nov. 3 presidential election to resign after the incident as well.

“These are the tactics of abusers. This is not about a difference of political opinion. This is about basic humanity,” she said.

“We are not safe with people who hold positions of power who are willing to endanger the lives of others if they think it will score them a political point.”

(Reporting by Heather Timmons; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)