Politics

Rep. AOC responds to claims she ‘faked’ being handcuffed during her arrest at pro-abortion protest

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is responding to claims by her Republican colleagues that she “faked” being handcuffed during her arrest at an abortion rights rally in D.C. this week.

Ocasio-Cortez, along with Reps. Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and fourteen other lawmakers were arrested on Tuesday during a rally near the Supreme Court. Law enforcement officers have said they issued several warnings to protesters about blocking the street and eventually began making arrests. 

Some Republican lawmakers have come out against AOC, accusing her of faking being in handcuffs in video footage of the arrest. House Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) attacked AOC on Twitter, saying “Politics has become performative art. So of course @aoc fakes being in handcuffs. Performance, not policy, is the name of the game up here.”

Ocasio-Cortez almost immediately fired back, “No faking here. Putting your hands behind your back is a best practice while detained, handcuffed or not, to avoid escalating charges like resisting arrest.” Capitol Police later confirmed no one was handcuffed during the arrests at the scene. All who were arrested were cited and fined $50. If the fines are not paid in 15 days, defendants must appear for a hearing.

“Republicans’ favorite hobby is to make conspiracy theories out of everything to distract you and keep you from talking about what’s actually important — which is the fact that they are trying to take away your right to bodily autonomy,” AOC said on Instagram Live. 

The Tuesday night protest is one of hundreds that have taken place across the country since the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade late last month, which now let’s each state decide for themselves whether or not to keep abortion legal.

ARTICLE: LAURA SPIVAK

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: NBC NEWS

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Laura Spivak

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

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