Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recounts Capitol riot in chilling Instagram Live video
In a chilling Instagram Live video on February 1, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez opened up about her experience during the Capitol riot that took place on January 6, revealing exactly what occurred on that day and how it’s impacted her personal trauma.
In the video, the 31-year-old congresswoman shared that she’s a sexual assault survivor, something she’s never previously spoken about. Ocasio-Cortez explained that the recent trauma from the insurrection has brought up past trauma.
“I haven’t told many people that in my life,” she said during the video. “But when we go through trauma, trauma compounds on each other. And so, whether you have a neglectful parent or whether you had someone who was verbally abusive to you, whether you are a survivor of abuse, whether you experience any sort of trauma in your life — small to large — these episodes can compound on one another.”
That’s precisely why Ocasio-Cortez has rebuked efforts to unite with those involved with the events of January 6, or to forgive and forget without holding those responsible accountable. She compared the calls to move on to the behavior of abusers, stating:
"“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.”"
Watch AOC’s full video about the Capitol riot below:
She also warned against failure to hold politicians involved in the events of January 6 accountable, condemning the fact that none of the senators accused of inciting or instigating the violence have shown any remorse.
“What that tells me is that, when given another window of political opportunity for themselves — even if they know that it means they will endanger their colleagues — they will do it again.” She went on to specifically call for Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Josh Hawley to resign.
The New York congresswoman also revealed just how close rioters came to those in the Capitol that day, and that her office was broken into as she hid in a bathroom.
“I felt that, if this was the journey that my life was taking, I felt that things were going to be okay. And that, you know, I had fulfilled my purpose.”
The entirety of AOC’s Instagram video was heartbreaking, and her followers quickly took to Twitter to applaud her bravery in speaking out.
My story isn’t the only story, nor is it the central story of what happened on Jan 6th.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 2, 2021
It is just one story of many of those whose lives were endangered at the Capitol by the lies, threats, and violence fanned by the cowardice of people who chose personal gain above democracy.
Ocasio-Cortez also emphasized at the beginning of the video that this was her story alone, and that many others have their own experiences from that day — including Capitol staff, some of whom were forced to clean up after the riot.
Next. AOC on being a woman in politics, the next four years. dark
More than 160,000 Instagram viewers tuned in to listen to AOC’s harrowing story. Hopefully, her perspective will underscore the severity of the riot and help prevent something like this from occurring again.