Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says her absence from President Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration was a response to the fear she feels around Republican lawmakers.
The New York Democrat told CNN’s Chris Cuomo that a string of recent events involving the riots at the Capitol, objections to the Electoral College vote, and gun-toting politicians were too much to bear.
This was supposed to be a show of force, and unity, and you weren’t there. Explain it,” Mr. Cuomo said Thursday evening.
“I think we also had very real security concerns as well, as you mentioned earlier,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez told the “Cuomo Prime Time” host. “We still don’t yet feel safe around other members of Congress and … a lot of members do not feel safe.”
Mr. Cuomo, seemingly stunned, then responded: “You really think that colleagues of yours in Congress, may do you dirty?”
“Yes, well, one [lawmaker] just tried to bring a gun on the floor of the House today,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez replied. “I believe it was Representative Andy Harris of Maryland. He tried to bring in a gun on to the House floor. For individuals who don’t know, guns are not allowed in the District of Columbia. And, certainly, the House floor is — there are separate House rules that prohibit the bringing in of firearms. Now, these are rules that date back to the Civil War. And these are individuals that are trying to sneak firearms either illegally or in direct violation of House rules. Why does a member of Congress need to sneak a gun on to the House floor?”
The CNN host predicted that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez would not find relief anytime soon as “very dramatic lines” would be drawn by Republican members of Congress going into the Biden administration.
Sign up for Daily Newsletters
Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC.
Click
here for reprint permission.
