Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to her Instagram account earlier this week in an hour-long video to reflect on the violence at the U.S. Capitol last week, where she said lawmakers are discussing forming a commission to rein in the media.
She noted the committee would be “investigatory” in style, saying the violence that erupted during a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 results by pro-Trump rioters was due to disinformation.
“Several members of Congress in some of my discussions have brought up media literacy because that is a part of what happened here. We are going to have to figure out how we rein in our media environment, so you can’t just spew disinformation and misinformation,” the New York Democrat said.
The response came after a question about the potential for a truth-and-reconciliation commission or efforts on media literacy.
The House voted to impeach Mr. Trump Wednesday for the second time, saying he incited the violence on Jan. 6.
Mr. Trump had gathered his supporters on Capitol Hill last Wednesday during a joint session of Congress where lawmakers met to certify the November results in favor of President-elect Joseph R. Biden. But Mr. Trump told his followers they should go to the Capitol and make their concerns over election fraud known to lawmakers in an attempt to stop Congress’ approval.
Hundreds of the supporters did go to the Capitol, overpowering law enforcement and breaching the building, entering the chamber.
The disruption caused lawmakers and staff to remain in lockdown after being taken to a safe, undisclosed location for several hours. A handful of people died — including law enforcement — as a result of the riot.
It is unclear when the House will formally deliver the articles of impeachment to the upper chamber, but a Senate trial likely won’t be held until Mr. Trump is already out of office.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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