AOC Melts Down, Accuses Reporter Of ‘Assault’ After Her Aide Gets Physical
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) found herself at the center of controversy on Capitol Hill after an interaction with independent journalist Nick Sortor spiraled into chaos. The heated exchange unfolded when Sortor pressed the progressive lawmaker about her refusal to condemn the Biden administration’s handling of the ongoing migrant crisis.
In a video shared by Sortor on X (formerly Twitter), the journalist approached Ocasio-Cortez, asking why she hasn’t addressed the impacts of the border crisis on her constituents. Ocasio-Cortez appeared dismissive, initially attempting to sidestep his questions. However, the situation escalated when her aide physically blocked Sortor, prompting the congresswoman to accuse him of assault.
“Get your hands off me,” Sortor is heard saying in the video. Instead, it was her aide who appeared to initiate the confrontation, stepping in front of Sortor and shoving him away. The Capitol Police were called to the scene, but after reviewing the incident, they sided with Sortor, confirming there was no assault on Ocasio-Cortez.
WATCH:
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: I confronted AOC at the Capitol over her refusal to condemn the Biden Migrant Crisis, which led to a migrant setting an innocent woman on fire today
AOC blamed DANIEL PENNY for subways being unsafe, and encourages even MORE unvetted migrants to pour across the… pic.twitter.com/g71lGW8JEv
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 23, 2024
AOC has faced mounting criticism for her rhetoric on public safety and immigration. She has reportedly blamed the tragic subway conditions not on criminal elements but on figures like Daniel Penny, a Marine veteran who was involved in a incident on a New York City subway last year. The New York Congresswoman has consistently called for enhanced federal resources to aid New York City in managing the migrant situation. In September 2023, during a press conference outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, AOC and other congressional members faced vocal opposition from protesters expressing anti-immigrant sentiments.
She has also been vocal in her criticism of Penny, the former Marine acquitted in the death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway. Following the not guilty verdict, the congresswoman expressed her concerns about public safety, claiming that individuals like Penny should be held accountable to prevent future violence.
“I just feel like, that, that tells us everything,” she said on X. “If we do not want violence on our subways, and the point of our justice system is a level of accountability to prevent a person who does not have remorse about taking another person’s life- I mean even people who have engaged in manslaughter or who have taken a life accidentally, express remorse.
“So the fact that a person may express no remorse, indicates that there’s a risk it may happen again. And if we don’t want to unleash that violence, then we should exert a level of accountability, to prevent that from happening,” she said.
The remarks sparked significant backlash. Many have viewed Penny as a protector who intervened during a threatening situation.