Fact Check: Was AOC in the Capitol Building During the Riot?
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced criticism over the claims she made about the Capitol riot, as many noted that she was not even in the building during the time of the siege. So, where was AOC?
Almost a month after the Capitol riot, AOC recounted her story of everything that went down, from her perspective, in a 90-minute Instagram Live video.
AOC described fearing for her life as she hid in the bathroom of her office in the Cannon House Office Building in the Capitol complex.
However, Tatum Report pointed out that the rioters did not breach the Cannon building despite being connected to the Capitol by a tunnel. Some people on social media even posted maps showing the distance between the two buildings.
Right-wing critics said she might have exaggerated the danger she was facing at the time of the riot. RedState, a conservative website, questioned Ocasio-Cortez's account with a headline that read: "AOC wasn't even in the Capitol building during her 'near death' experience."
On Twitter, the congresswoman was also likened to actor Jussie Smollett who was accused of staging an attack against himself. And the hashtag #AlexandriaOcasioSmollett even trended.
Cannon Building Among Locations in Capitol Complex Forced to Evacuate
Despite criticism, AOC stood by her remarks and pushed back against critics. Indeed, Ocasio-Cortez was not in the main Capitol building where the Senate and House Chamber were when the riot broke out, and she was in the Cannon building instead.
Politifact noted that during the video, she didn't really make any claims that she was in the main Capitol building when the riot broke out. Apart from that, the Cannon building was also one of the two buildings in the complex forced into evacuating.
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AOC stated that around 1 p.m. that day, she heard "violent bangs" on her door, and it seemed like "someone was trying to break the door down."
Rioters were already gathered outside the Capitol at that time but had not broken in yet, reports said. When she approached her legislative director, Geraldo Bonilla-Chavez, she was told to "hide, run and hide."
AOC Thought She Was 'Going to Die' As Police Called for Her
It was during this time when she hid in her office bathroom as she heard a man's voice shouting, "Where is she? Where is she?"
She told her viewers that it was during this time when she felt "everything was over" and said, "I thought I was going to die." She was so fearful of the person calling for her without realizing that it was actually a Capitol Police officer calling her attention.
When they found her, the officer told her to move to another building. She said she could hear "all of these rioters behind the glass of the door."
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She ended up sheltering with Rep. Katie Porter, who said in a February 1 interview with MSNBC that she expected people roaming the hallways at that point. However, as Rep. Nancy Mace tweeted the following day, rioters didn't make it to the hallway where the congresswomen were sheltered.
She also said most lawmakers were just asked to evacuate due to the nearby threat, although the building they were in wasn't compromised. AOC also clarified on February 4 that none of them knew which areas in the Capitol were dangerous.