Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is describing the fear she felt as pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol last week amid the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
During an Instagram Live, Ocasio-Cortez reflected on the violent event and suggested she was not sure she was going to survive.
“As for myself, I had a pretty traumatizing event happen to me and I do not know if I can even disclose the full details of that event due to security concerns, but I can tell you I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die,” she said.
Ocasio-Cortez added, “You have all of those thoughts where, you know, at the end of your life and all of these thoughts come rushing to you and that’s what happened to a lot of us on Wednesday and I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.”
Watch her comments below:
.@AOC, on Instagram, reflects on the Capitol Hill riot: “I thought I was going to die. And you have all of those thoughts where, at the end of your life, all of these thoughts come rushing to you … I did not know if I was going to make out of that day alive.” pic.twitter.com/JX0gLNtMAY
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 13, 2021
She explained it was not just in a “general sense” but in a “very, very specific sense.”
Ocasio-Cortez said the events act as an opportunity to discuss trauma.
“I think what’s really important is that… whenever any person has an encounter where they think they’re going to die and they go through that process, that is a traumatizing event and… things don’t have to get that far for something to be traumatizing,” she continued.
Ocasio-Cortez also tweeted a call on Republicans who went along with President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated election claims to resign.
“I have one message to members of Congress who amplified lies to undermine our democracy, encouraged an attack on our Capitol, and tried to overturn our election: Resign,” she wrote. “If your lust for power exceeds your dedication to democracy, there is simply no place for you in Congress.”
I have one message to members of Congress who amplified lies to undermine our democracy, encouraged an attack on our Capitol, and tried to overturn our election:
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 13, 2021
Resign.
If your lust for power exceeds your dedication to democracy, there is simply no place for you in Congress.
The House is expected to vote Wednesday to impeach Trump for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot, as IJR previously reported.
