Ocasio-Cortez rips Republicans for seeking to discredit her account of riot

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is criticizing Republicans who she said are seeking to discredit her over her account of the mob attack on the Capitol last month. 

Ocasio-Cortez called out the criticism in a general tweet saying an article claiming she was not in the Capitol that day was “the latest manipulative take on the right.”

She also directly criticized freshman GOP Rep. Nancy Mace (S.C.), who appeared to question Ocasio-Cortez’s story by tweeting that her office is “two doors down” from the New York Democrat’s office and “no insurrectionists stormed our hallway.”

I’m two doors down from @aoc and no insurrectionists stormed our hallway… https://t.co/pAuLh4Vvam pic.twitter.com/xRV4qqY7Qs

— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) February 4, 2021

Ocasio-Cortez labeled Mace’s tweet as “deeply cynical” and “disgusting,” noting that as the raid occurred “none of us knew in the moment what areas were compromised.”

She pointed to Mace’s previous comments to The State, which reported she “barricaded himself inside her D.C. office” and slept in her office that night out of safety concerns.

“This was what you were saying just a few weeks ago,” the New York Democrat tweeted. “Now you’re contradicting your own account to attack me for Fox News clicks. It’s honestly pretty sad to see you turn around like this and throw other people under the bus. Thought you’d be better.”

This was what you were saying just a few weeks ago.

Now you’re contradicting your own account to attack me for Fox News clicks.

It’s honestly pretty sad to see you turn around like this and throw other people under the bus.

Thought you’d be better.https://t.co/1WPlwUWlar

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 4, 2021

Ocasio-Cortez recounted her experience of the Jan. 6 siege publicly on Monday, saying she feared for her life while hiding in the bathroom after hearing banging on her office doors and someone break in yelling, “Where is she?” 

Later in her story, she revealed the person who entered her office and was yelling was a Capitol Police officer, who she said was looking at her with “anger and hostility.” 

Critics took issue with portions of her account, including suggesting that she wasn’t in danger because rioters were mainly focused on entering the Capitol building and not the surrounding office buildings. Others have criticized her remarks about the police officer.

Ocasio-Cortez is regularly used as a punching bag on conservative media and by GOP colleagues, who are able to gain attention for themselves with attacks on the Democrat.

Ocasio-Cortez’s office is in the Cannon building, which is connected to the Capitol through underground tunnels. Before the breach, that building was told to evacuate after a suspicious package was found in the area. 

The entire area of Capitol Hill was considered a dangerous place to be on Jan. 6 after the mob attack, though the threat to Ocasio-Cortez is likely much greater than to the average lawmaker given her fame. 

Ocasio-Cortez said her critics were “manipulating the fact that most people don’t know the layout” of the Capitol complex, noting “the attack wasn’t just on the dome.”

“People were trying to rush and infiltrate our office buildings – that’s why we had to get evacuated in the first place,” she tweeted. “The attempts of attackers & publicly available communications show how they tried to gain access and share location info on finding members for physical harm.”

“It is also very damning and revealing that the GOP is now digging both heels in a discrediting campaign,” she continued in her Twitter thread. “It’s because they know they are implicated, so they’re pivoting to (again) the classic abuse playbook of ‘it’s not as bad as they say.'”

“It was that bad,” she concluded. “It’s actually worse.”

This is the latest manipulative take on the right.

They are manipulating the fact that most people don’t know the layout the Capitol complex.

We were all on the Capitol complex – the attack wasn’t just on the dome.

The bombs Trump supporters planted surrounded our offices too. pic.twitter.com/jI18e0XRrd

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 3, 2021

It is also very damning and revealing that the GOP is now digging both heels in a discrediting campaign.

It’s because they know they are implicated, so they’re pivoting to (again) the classic abuse playbook of “it’s not as bad as they say.”

It was that bad. It’s actually worse.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 3, 2021

Ocasio-Cortez went live on Instagram on Monday to detail her account of the attack. She revealed during her address that she is a survivor of sexual assault and accused lawmakers who have called for people to “move on” from the raid of utilizing “the tactics that abusers use.”

During the Capitol siege, Ocasio-Cortez said she was originally in her office before fleeing and running into Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) when they sheltered in her office. Porter’s Jan. 6 account, which she shared on MSNBC, supports Ocasio-Cortez’s story. 

Five people died in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, including one Capitol Police officer. A number of other officers were beaten by people in the mob as evidenced by a number of videos showing the attacks.