Topline
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday “I work with people who wish me harm,” a jarring allegation just hours after the House January 6 committee claimed a man who toured the Capitol complex with Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) threatened Ocasio-Cortez and other high-profile Democrats during the January 6 riot just one day later.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks at a rally outside an Amazon facility on Staten Island … [+]
Key Facts
In a video released by the committee Wednesday, a man was shown marching toward the Capitol on January 6, 2021, while yelling “there’s no escape” and rattling off a list of Democratic lawmakers including Ocasio-Cortez and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The same man purportedly “took photos of hallways, tunnels, and staircases” during a tour of the Capitol complex led by Loudermilk on January 5, 2021.
Ocasio-Cortez reacted to the video by telling reporters “many members of Congress … have specifically used my name to incite violence.”
Forbes has reached out to Loudermilk’s office for comment.
Contra
For weeks, Loudermilk has denied that the tours he offered to constituents ahead of the riot were suspicious or amounted to “reconnaissance.” In a Monday letter to the House Administration Committee’s top Republican, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said “we do not consider any of the activities we observed [in Loudermilk’s tour] as suspicious,” adding the visitors walked around Capitol Hill office buildings but didn’t enter the Capitol building itself. On Wednesday, Loudermilk tweeted the January 6 committee was leading a “smear campaign.”
Tangent
Ocasio-Cortez didn’t mention any specific lawmakers who she believes used her name to “incite violence,” but she has been the target of incendiary rhetoric in the past. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) shared an anime video of himself killing Ocasio-Cortez last year. Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) was overheard calling her a “fucking bitch” in 2020, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) mocked her last year for saying she feared for her life during the Capitol riot.
Crucial Quote
“I experienced [the January 6 riot] as a culmination of the violent rhetoric, not a first time or a one-time spike in violent rhetoric,” Ocasio-Cortez said Wednesday.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/06/15/aoc-says-colleagues-wish-me-harm-after-newly-released-jan-6-committee-footage/