Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was sexually harassed on the steps of the Capitol building by a conservative provocateur, according to a video posted by the congresswoman yesterday.
In the video, Ocasio-Cortez can be seen walking to the Capitol while Alex Stein, a conservative comedian, repeatedly calls her a “big booty Latina” and says the congresswoman “wants to kill babies but she’s still beautiful.”
Ocasio-Cortez can be seen walking over to the man briefly before continuing to enter the building. She said in a tweet that she was “walking over to deck him because if no one will protect us then I’ll do it myself” but decided against it because “I needed to catch a vote more than a case today.”
The video went viral on Twitter, with many users coming to Ocasio-Cortez’s defense.
“I’ve been sexually harassed my entire life…in EVERY JOB I’ve ever had!” one user wrote. “The man sexually harassing @AOC has NO IDEA how belittling and cruel his behavior is! Women respond quietly, with a tiny smile, or a peace sign, based on fear and intimidation! I’m tired of this shit!”
“@AOC was confronted by a Trump supporter outside the Capitol today, and not a single Republican denounced it,” wrote another. “I saw Fox News & the entire GOP meltdown over rapist Brett Kavanaugh being protested at Morton’s Steakhouse. But when it comes to protecting women: complete silence.”
“Violence towards women of color in politics is not theoretical: it is real, it is dangerous, and simply not enough is done to keep us safe and alive,” said Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) “Rep. @AOC, I’m sorry. Congress as an institution and our society as a whole must do better at protecting you and us from this.”