The AOC/Mace Feud In A Nutshell

0
4002


Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is facing recent backlash over a video she posted describing a confrontation with Capitol Police at her office during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. What she failed to mention is that she was not even inside the Capitol itself when the riot happened, but in the Cannon building across the complex.

AOC shared details during an Instagram Live where she talked about fearing for her life after an encounter with a man who turned out to be a Capitol Police officer. She said the man had “anger and hostility in her eyes” but that she decided to “pass judgment” and trust him in a vulnerable situation. She revealed that being a sexual assault survivor kept her from speaking out about her experience at the Capitol.

Holes in AOC’s story began to form when Rep. Nancy Mace tweeted out, saying that her office was two doors down from her and there was nobody storming in the hallway. She accused AOC of exaggerating her story for political gain.

“I deal in facts and reality. And the fact is there were no insurrectionist, no violent rioters that were in the halls of the Cannon Office Building that day. Everyone was terrified. We were worried. It was a harrowing, life-threatening experience. No one questions that. But when we get into the details and the facts and let that slide, that that did not happen, that’s where I take issue. We need to be honest or people tell the truth and deal in reality and facts,” Rep. Mace said.

Rep. Mace said this was “far” from the first time the New York congresswoman has tried to use a situation for political purposes, specifically pointing out the fear AOC talked about with a Capitol Police officer. AOC tried to liken the situation to communities where people are unsure if they can trust law enforcement.

AOC turned the argument against Rep. Mace and accused her of silencing voices of assault. She wrote that “voices in leadership” are more than ready to minimize a survivor’s experience, seeming to compare the experience of her account being criticized to the stories of abuse survivors and combat veterans.

Rep. Mace pointed out that she was not discounting AOC’s fears, but rather dealing in facts about insurrections being in the hallways…which they never were. She feels that the American public is owed the most accurate account of a story, not just one liberal’s botched perspective. Americans are struggling hard to put food on the table amid an ongoing pandemic and don’t have time to get sidetracked with another AOC sideshow. Especially one that doesn’t share all of the facts.