Republican Congressman Denies Threatening to 'Throw Urine' at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Texas Republican Representative Roger Williams denied on Tuesday that he threatened to "throw urine" at the Puerto Rican Democrat during a heated argument.
According to an article by The Hill, the confrontation came after Florida Representative Ted Yoho approached Ocasio-Cortez on the east side of the Capitol on Monday to call her "disgusting." A reporter who heard the brief exchange claimed the Republican confronted AOC after she suggested that poverty and unemployment caused a rise in crime rate in New York City.
Ocasio-Cortez shot back at Yoho, telling him he was being rude before walking away. He met Williams a few steps down before he was heard saying, "F-- b--."
AOC confirmed the brief exchange on Twitter on Tuesday. But a spokesman for Yoho later issued a statement denying the claims. The spokesman said Yoho only used a "barnyard epithet" during their confrontation.
Ocasio-Cortez, who is the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress, also accused Williams of yelling at her and threatening to throw urine at her.
According to Fox News, Heather Douglass, the Republican senator's communications director, said Williams would have immediately condemned foul language towards his colleagues.
Representative Steny H. Hoyer, a Democrat, called for Yoho to apologize to AOC on the House floor. She said his actions were despicable and an act bullies would do.
What did AOC say about New York?
Earlier in the month, reporters asked Ocasio-Cortez about the rising cases of gun violence in New York. The progressive Hispanic suggested economic hardship and the failure of policymakers to fund programs to level economic disparities led to the surge in petty crimes.
She also suggested that glitches in the delivery of direct payments and unemployment benefits have helped trigger the crime spike.
AOC has long since advocated for policies that would cut funding for police to shift the money to education, mental health, and social services.
Who is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a third-generation Bronxite who made headlines after she beat former U.S. Representative Joe Crowly in the Democratic primary in June 2018.
She made waves again after she refused to attend President Trump's third State of the Union address in February 2020.
She attended Boston University where she earned her degrees in economics and International Relations. She began working with the National Hispanic Institute as an Educational Director. Her position allowed her to help Americans, DACA-recipients, and undocumented immigrants in community leadership and college readiness.
Being a Democratic Socialist, she supports the Medicare-for-all program. The initiative aims to create one national health insurance plan for all Americans. The program would cover all forms of health care.
Ocasio-Cortez, who was still paying off her college debts in 2019, is a firm believer of tuition-free public colleges and universities. In an interview with Business Insider, AOC also said she wants to give Americans a guaranteed living wage "so no one in the U.S. is too poor to live."