Senator Ted Cruz and Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez, perhaps two of the most polar-opposite politicians in Congress today, appeared momentarily to be sharing a kum-ba-ya moment. Here’s a bit of backstory.
AOC lashed out against Robinhood for its decision to prevent users from buying certain stocks to purportedly calm market volatility.
This is unacceptable,” she tweeted. “We now need to know more about Robinhood App’s decision to block retail investors from purchasing stock while hedge funds are freely able to trade the stock as they see fit. As a member of the Financial Services Cmte, I’d support a hearing if necessary.”
Let’s put aside how scary it is that AOC is on the Financial Services Committee. All Senator Ted Cruz said to the Congresswoman was “Fully agree.”
The comment from an actual Republican was enough to trigger Ocasio-Cortez into a truly unhinged and despicable claim. She alleged that Cruz “almost had me murdered.”
“I am happy to work with Republicans on this issue where there’s common ground, but you almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago so you can sit this one out,” she baselessly retorted. “Happy to work w/ almost any other GOP that aren’t trying to get me killed. In the meantime if you want to help, you can resign.”
AOC’s reckless comment elicited heated reaction.
Nonetheless, her massive Twitter following seems to echo everything she says, and the social media platform seems to give her free reign to say what she likes.
Let’s put aside that not only was the story that there were “capture and kill teams” debunked, but the Democrats themselves objected to presidential elections in 2000, 2004 and 2016. Did the Democrats want to “murder” Republicans?
Furthermore, what about the potential incitements for Antifa and radicalized BLM activists to riot and murder people, like happened for months, that could be made of Democrats? (This was a point made eloquently and forcefully by Senator Rand Paul in his recent speech advocating that the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump be dismissed because it is unconstitutional.)
Senator Ted Cruz, however, did reply to AOC’s tweet, just via a Hill pool and not via Twitter:
“You know, there’s a lot of partisan anger and rage on the Democratic side. It’s, it’s not healthy for our country, it’s certainly not conducive of healing or unity, but everyone has to decide how they want to interact with others.”
That is how a statesman responds to petty, irresponsible accusations from a Congresswoman. And since the remark didn’t take place in the chambers of Congress, it may not be protected speech and could conceivably open up the Congresswoman to slander and libel lawsuits.