Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democrat from New York, is facing criticism over her initial claims of what took place during the Jan. 6th Capitol breach.
Ocasio-Cortez posted a video describing a confrontation with Capitol Police at her office, which is located in the Cannon building on the larger Capitol complex, but not in the Capitol itself. Breachers never entered the Cannon building, which is accessible through underground tunnels connected to the Capitol and from a short walkway and across the street. The Cannon building was one of the buildings where staff was told to evacuate after suspicious packages were found in the area. Law enforcement would find pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails in the vicinity.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded to the incident saying, “I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.” She would later accuse Sen. Ted Cruz of almost having her “murdered,” based on accusations that Cruz and others incited the attack through their opinions about the 2020 presidential election.
A month after the event she stated in a video, “I can tell you that I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die.”
In her most recent Instagram video, she emotionally recollects how she hid behind a bathroom door and heard the police officer break into her office.
“I thought I was going to die,” she said, noting that she didn’t initially realize the person trying to enter her office was police. “I have never been quieter in my entire life.”
.@AOC describes a Capitol Police officer bursting into her office, says his presence “didn’t feel right” and that he was looking at her “in all of this anger and hostility.” Her staffer reportedly wondered if he would have to fight the officer.
.@AOC describes a Capitol Police officer bursting into her office, says his presence “didn’t feel right” and that he was looking at her “in all of this anger and hostility.” Her staffer reportedly wondered if he would have to fight the officer. pic.twitter.com/LCj2JmmFP6
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) February 2, 2021
Represented Nancy Mace, who has an office two doors down from AOC, blasted media coverage and tweeting that insurrectionists never stormed the hallway that she shares with Ocasio-Cortez.
“@AOC made clear she didn’t know who was at her door. Breathless attempts by media to fan fictitious news flames are dangerous. My office is 2 doors down. Insurrectionists never stormed our hallway. Egregious doesn’t even begin to cover it. Is there nothing MSM won’t politicize?,” tweeted Represented Nancy Mace.
.@AOC made clear she didn’t know who was at her door. Breathless attempts by media to fan fictitious news flames are dangerous.
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) February 2, 2021
My office is 2 doors down. Insurrectionists never stormed our hallway. Egregious doesn’t even begin to cover it. Is there nothing MSM won’t politicize? pic.twitter.com/Tl1GiPSOft
Of course, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded blaming the right, calling the reveling of the truth “the latest manipulative take on the right.”
She tweeted, “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.”
and this, “People were trying to rush and infiltrate our office buildings – that’s why we had to get evacuated in the first place. The attempts of attackers & publicly available communications show how they tried to gain access and share location info on finding members for physical harm.”
People were trying to rush and infiltrate our office buildings – that’s why we had to get evacuated in the first place.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 3, 2021
The attempts of attackers & publicly available communications show how they tried to gain access and share location info on finding members for physical harm.
In an attempt to push back on the fact checking of her comments AOC emailed her followers to mass reports anyone on social media who disparaged her recollections of the incident.
Jack Posobiec and many others continued to tweet and slam AOC’s tactics, “BREAKING: AOC just emailed her followers to mass-report everyone who tweeted #AlexandriaOcasioSmollet today so Twitter and Facebook will take down any posts criticizing or fact-checking her”
BREAKING: AOC just emailed her followers to mass-report everyone who tweeted #AlexandriaOcasioSmollet today so Twitter and Facebook will take down any posts criticizing or fact-checking her pic.twitter.com/iTsAAUWplt
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 4, 2021
Jack Posobiec goes on to tweet, “AOC calling people to report misinformation hmmmm”
AOC calling people to report misinformation hmmmm pic.twitter.com/mVoglHpqdT
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 4, 2021
BREAKING: #AOClied is now the #1 trend in the United States
BREAKING: #AOClied is now the #1 trend in the United States pic.twitter.com/Z5vCXO4j3T
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 4, 2021
Fact-check pic.twitter.com/tLoJ3HxcQP
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 3, 2021
And Nancy Mace continued in the conversation tweeting again, “I’m two doors down from @aoc and no insurrectionists stormed our hallway… AOC faces backlash as critics point out she wasn’t in Capitol building during riot
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
Many others got involved in the conversation on Twetter
Tim Pool tweeted, “AOC was evacuated form her office around the time the Capitol building outermost security perimeter was breeched but an hour and ten minutes before the Capitol building itself was breeched Trump was still speaking at the rally until 1:12pm.”
AOC was evacuated form her office around the time the Capitol building outermost security perimeter was breeched but an hour and ten minutes before the Capitol building itself was breeched
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) February 4, 2021
Trump was still speaking at the rally until 1:12pm https://t.co/YNNCyYCxQf