Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fired back at Tucker Carlson late Friday after the Fox News host mocked her for recently saying that she feared she would be raped during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
In an interview released earlier in the week, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, said that she was scared at the time that pro-Trump rioters might rape or kill her after breaching the Capitol building.
Mr. Carlson, a regular critic of the progressive congresswoman, subsequently ridiculed her over the remark on his Fox News program Thursday night and made fun of her for believing she might be assaulted.
“Get a therapist, honey. This is crazy. These people were mad because they thought the election wasn’t fair. Now, you may disagree with that, but it wasn’t about you, surprise, surprise!” said Mr. Carlson.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who has previously said that she is a survivor of sexual assault, hit back at Mr. Carlson the following night on Twitter in a social media post reacting to video footage of his remarks.
“I couldn’t care less about what this talking inferiority complex has to say, but I do feel for the women and survivors in his life who now see they wouldn’t be believed or safe with him,” she tweeted.
Many survivors of assault don’t tell family or friends, because of how they see others treated, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez added.
Rioters stormed the Capitol to stop members of Congress from affirming President Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, causing Democratic and Republican members of the House and Senate to seek shelter.
Weeks later, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez publicly revealed that she is a survivor of sexual assault while responding to efforts by Republican allies of former President Trump to put the Capitol riot in the past.
“The reason I say this and 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,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said in February.
“I’m a survivor of sexual assault. And I haven’t told many people that in my life. But when we go through trauma, trauma compounds on each other,” she added. “Whether you are a survivor of abuse. Whether you experienced any sort of trauma in your life, small to large. These episodes can compound on one another.”
More than 500 people have been charged with crimes related to the Capitol riot. Around 140 police officers were injured defending the building. Several of them have said they were traumatized by the event.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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