"I Thought Everything Was Over": AOC Says She's a Sexual Assault Survivor, Recounts Trauma of Capitol Riot

By Mary Anne R. (staff@latinpost.com) First Posted: Feb 03, 2021 10:27 PM EST

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) addresses supporters during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders on March 8, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ocasio-Cortez has become a Democratic Party favorite among millennials and Gen Z. Sanders covered his policy agendas for immigration, women's rights, healthcare and economic inequality. (Photo : Brittany Greeson/Getty Images)

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has recounted her Capitol riot experiences on an Instagram Live on Monday night, comparing calls to move on after the Capitol riots speaks volume about the tactics of abusers.

AOC further revealed that she was a survivor of sexual assault. She also described how she hid in the bathroom in her office as mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters breached the capitol.

"I just hear, 'where is she. Where is she.' And this was the moment where I thought everything was over," AOC was quoted on an NBC News report.

The Democratic lawmaker added that the sexual assault revelation would be a shock to some friends and loved ones. She added that the reason that she is getting emotional on her Instagram Live was that people were telling them to move on and it is not a big deal.

AOC added that these are the same tactics of abusers, saying that she is a survivor of sexual assault and she has not told many people in her life about that.

Chaos Inside the Capitol

She said that she saw a man wearing a black beanie through the door hinge and continued to yell for her. AOC admitted that she thought she was going to die at the time.

She said that she and her legislative director realized that the man was actually a Capitol Police Officer. However, he did not identify himself and was looking at her with a tremendous amount of anger and hostility, according to a USA Today report.

"I didn't know if he was here to help us or hurt us, either," AOC's legislative director later remarked as quoted on a report.

AOC said that the officer told them to go to another building, however, the officer did not specify any safety instructions and an exact location.

She and her legislative director ended up locking themselves in Rep. Katie Porter's office. Staff pushed furniture up against the doors. She and Porter rummaged through staffers' things to find out clothes to wear to blend into the crowd in case that they needed to run, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report.

Call for Resignation of Fellow Lawmakers

Meanwhile, AOC called for the resignation of fellow members of Congress, including Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, who was known to have objected to President Joe Biden's win and encouraged Trump's baseless theories of losing the election due to widespread fraud.

AOC claimed that the said lawmakers will do it again when given another window of political opportunity for themselves.

In addition, the lawmakers also refuted the notion that there was no way to know ahead of time just how violent Jan. 6 would become. She noted that she received messages from fellow members of Congress up to a week before the attack, warning her about possible violence on that day.

AOC also said that the Capitol Police recognized ahead of time that there was a security plan in place. However, the said details of the plan could not be shared with members of Congress due to risk of leaks.

A total of five people were reported to have died during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Tags AOC, Capitol riot