Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) had a bit of a meltdown on Monday after White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany referred to her as a “Biden adviser,” which is a correct statement, and suggested that McEnany was racist for not referring to her as a “Congresswoman” and demanded an apology. However, it was quickly pointed out by the White House that McEnany did, in fact, refer to Ocasio-Cortez as a “congresswoman.”
McEnany made the remark in response to Fox News correspondent John Roberts asking her: “What’s the president’s thinking on this growing movement to either defund or dismantle police forces across the country, and what reforms does the president think would be appropriate in the week of the George Floyd killing?”
“The president is appalled by the defund the police movement, the fact that you have sitting Congresswomen wanting to defund the police, notably Rashida Talib, notably Biden adviser AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a former Clinton and Eric Holder spokesperson, Brian Fallon, wanting to defund our police across this country, it is extraordinary,” McEnany responded. “And when you think the left has gone far and they couldn’t possibly go farther because we all remember the defund ICE movement, they want to defund immigration and customs enforcement, and now they wanted to fund the police.”
“This is extraordinary. This is rolling back the protective layers that protect Americans in their homes and in their places of business,” McEnany continued. “He’s appalled by it. And it’s remarkable to hear this coming from today’s Democrat party.”
McEnany’s claim that Ocasio-Cortez has called for defunding the police is correct and it’s a position that is highly unpopular with the American public.
“@PressSec wouldn’t be the first person to mistake a women of color for having a lower position or title than she does, but Kayleigh – in case you haven’t picked up a newspaper in two years, I’m a Congresswoman,” Ocasio-Cortez responded on Twitter. “The @PressSec comment is steeped in a long, hurtful, & horrendous history of stripping women of color of titles and diminishing them to ‘the help.’ Perhaps she isn’t aware that what she did is mired in racist history. If that is the case, I look forward to her apology tomorrow.”
The @PressSec comment is steeped in a long, hurtful, & horrendous history of stripping women of color of titles and diminishing them to “the help.”
Perhaps she isn’t aware that what she did is mired in racist history. If that is the case, I look forward to her apology tomorrow.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 8, 2020
The White House quickly debunked Ocasio-Cortez’s false claim, with Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah responding by writing on Twitter: “Verbatim quote by @PressSec : ‘POTUS is appalled by the ‘defund police’ movement. The fact that you have SITTING CONGRESSWOMEN wanting to defund the police—notably Rashida Tlaib, notably Biden advisor @AOC …’ she literally called you Congresswoman, @AOC .”
she literally called you Congresswoman, @AOC.
— Alyssa Farah (@Alyssafarah) June 8, 2020
McEnany also responded on Twitter by including a screenshot of the transcript and writing: “Read the transcript, Congresswoman @AOC”
Read the transcript, Congresswoman @AOC ⬇️ https://t.co/knvCMmVjWh pic.twitter.com/q6uRWROYNA
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) June 8, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to being corrected by multiple officials and did not take down her tweets or issue a correction or an apology, which she originally demanded from McEnany.
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