Ocasio-Cortez: Trump tweet on 75-year-old protester a ‘reprehensible act’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday denounced President Trump’s sharing of an unfounded conspiracy theory that the elderly protester shoved to the ground by police in Buffalo, N.Y., may have been an “ANTIFA provocateur,” calling Trump’s tweet a “reprehensible act.” 

“It was horrendous and horrific,” Ocasio-Cortez said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “The president targeted a 75-year-old, justice-loving man who wanted to stand up for his neighbors and wanted to stand up for his fellow black Americans in making sure that everyone is treated equally in the eyes of the law.”

“To target him when everyone saw on video exactly what happened is just such a reprehensible act,” she added. “It just goes to show how far we have to go in the fight for justice in this country.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks out in an @ABC News exclusive interview about President Donald Trump’s tweet about a protester and why she supports calls to defund police.@AOC@GStephanopoulos https://t.co/219hrZ1V84 pic.twitter.com/J9lnK5o5le

— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 10, 2020

Video from last week captured two Buffalo police officers shoving Martin Gugino after he approached them during a protest against police brutality. The 75-year-old staggered and fell backward, hitting his head on the sidewalk. He was then seen lying motionless on the ground as blood pooled on the sidewalk and officers walked by him.   

Trump, appearing to refer to a report from the right-wing One America News Network, shared on Twitter that “Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment.”

“I watched, he fell harder than was pushed,” the president added. “Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?”

The tweet was roundly condemned by Democratic lawmakers, as well as some Republicans. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said that the president should apologize, while Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) called the remarks “shocking” and said he wouldn’t “dignify it with any further comment.”

Asked about Trump’s comments, Gugino told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, “no comment other than Black Lives Matter.” He added that he had recently left an intensive care unit and should “recover eventually.”

The incident involving Gugino came as protests swept across the nation in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. Several demonstrations have devolved into violent confrontations between police and protesters, with officers firing tear gas and pepper bullets to disperse crowds in some cities. 

The two Buffalo officers who shoved Gugino to the ground, Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe, have been charged with assault and pleaded not guilty.