WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described being terrified for her life during the storming of the U.S. Capitol in an emotional broadcast on Monday night, doubling down on calls for Republican politicians to be held accountable.
New York House member Ocasio-Cortez said she was harassed by those she identified as fans of former President Donald Trump for days before the Jan. 6 incident, and warned by other members of Congress to be “careful” on the day of the rally.
That day, Ocasio-Cortez said on an Instagram Live broadcast, she hid behind a bathroom door in her office, fearing for her life.
She evacuated with a staffer to another building, she added, and scrambled to get into a colleague’s office where she hid for hours.
The Congresswoman equated Republican calls to move on from the incident, in which five died and dozens of police were injured, to other forms of abuse.
“The reason I’m getting emotional in this moment is because these folks who tell us to move on, that it’s not a big deal, that we should forget what’s happened, or even telling us to apologize, these are the same tactics of abusers,” she said.
“And I’m a survivor of sexual assault and I haven’t told many people that in my life.”
Several Congressional committees are investigating the security failures behind the attacks.
Ocasio-Cortez, known to her fans as AOC, is among the Democrats calling for Republicans who encouraged and repeated Trump’s lie that he had won the Nov. 3 presidential election to resign after the incident as well.
“These are the tactics of abusers, this is not about a different of political opinion, this is about basic humanity,” she said.
“We are not safe with people who hold positions of power who are willing to endanger the lives of others if they think it will score them a political point.”
(Reporting by Heather Timmons; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
