/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/60190f1a25186f60f67cb072/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=4629&cropY1=0&cropY2=2603&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Talks About Traumatic Capitol Invasion, Being A Sexual Assault Survivor In Emotional Livestream")
Topline
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) spoke about her experience as a sexual assault survivor in an emotional Instagram Live with her followers, after she recounted going into hiding in a bathroom in her office during the Jan. 6 Capitol Riots, highlighting the trauma she felt that day as a survivor and the serious danger lawmakers in the Capitol were faced with.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) slammed Republican calls to ‘move on’ from the Capitol … [+]
POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
In the live stream watched by more than 150,000 people, Ocasio-Cortez said she thought she was going to die after saw a white man in a black beanie banging on her office door yelling: “Where is she? Where is she?” while she was locked in the bathroom.
The man turned out to be a Capitol Police officer, but the congresswoman said the experience left her shaken since the officer engaged in a “hostile” manner with her and gave her vague instructions on where to seek shelter.
Eventually, she and her team left her office and found shelter in the offices of Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.)
The Democratic congresswoman then denounced calls by Republican leaders to “move on” from the attack likening their statements to tactics often used by abusers against their victims.
Ocasio-Cortez was particularly scathing in her assessment of Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), saying they had encouraged the rioters by supporting the former president’s unsubstantiated challenges to the results of the 2020 election.
Crucial Quote
“These folks (Republicans) tell us to move on, that it’s not a big deal, that we should forget what happened, even telling us that we should apologize – these are the same tactics of abusers,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I’m a survivor of sexual assault. And I haven’t told many people that in my life. But when we go through trauma, trauma compounds on each other.”
Key Background
Ocasio-Cortez, who won her second term in office last year, is among the most high-profile progressive leaders in Congress and an object of extreme hate for members of the far right. Last month, the congresswoman spoke about her fear on the day of the Capitol attack that her Republican colleagues may divulge her location to the mob, putting her at risk of being kidnapped, or worse. At the time, she said she had experienced “a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die” that day but hadn’t gone into much detail for security reasons. Later in the month, the U.S. Justice Department announced they had filed charges against a Texas man who allegedly participated in the storming of the Capitol and threatened on social media to kill Ocasio-Cortez. The man, Garret Miller has been ordered to remain in federal custody until his trial.
Further Reading
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ‘I Thought I Was Going To Die’ During Capitol Takeover (Forbes)
AOC Says It Might Be Time To ‘Rein In’ Media After DC Riots – And Fox News Is Already Hysterical (Forbes)
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