One of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's hallmarks is hosting accessible Instagram Live videos informing her followers about the intricate political processes in Washington. But on Tuesday, the Democratic Congresswoman, better known as AOC, used Instagram Live to share her traumatic experiences during the siege of the U.S. Capitol last week.
Ocasio-Cortez called it "a close encounter that made me think I was going to die".
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"I didn't even feel safe going to this extraction point because there were QAnon and white supremacist members of Congress who I believed would reveal my location and create opportunities to get injured," she said.
Alongside representatives Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez is one of four Democratic women in Congress that make up "The Squad". Ocasio-Cortez is the best-known member of the group and has become a popular figure on the political left - despite being maligned in some conservative circles.
The siege of the Capitol came on January 6, after President Donald Trump spoke to supporters at a meeting in Washington, DC to support the false claim that President-elect Joe Biden stole the 2020 election from him. A joint congressional session confirmed Biden as president, a formality chaired and announced by Vice President Mike Pence. After the events of the day, Trump's Twitter account, among other social media accounts, was permanently suspended for what Twitter called "the risk of further incitement to violence".
After the unrest, AOC was one of the first to demand that Trump be removed from office. "" Accuse "She tweeted on the afternoon of Jan. 6. Pence decided not to take advantage of the 25th amendment that would replace Trump with Pence, but The house stands ready to hold a vote on Wednesday to indict Trump for the second time.
Ocasio-Cortez told her Instagram followers that she could not describe her experience with the uprising in more detail for legal reasons. However, she used it as an opportunity to reject the Senators who voted against the confirmation of the election results, which contributed to calls for Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley to step down.
"And so I want to be clear to Senator Ted Cruz. You don't belong to the United States Senate. Be clear to Senator Josh Hawley. You don't belong to the United States Senate. You don't belong to any democratically elected seat if you don't believe this Choice according to your own requirements was even legitimate. So out. "