Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) claimed Wednesday evening that U.S. Capitol Police officers or other actors working inside the Capitol building assisted protesters during the January 6 riot as they breached the facility in an effort to stop the certification of the Electoral College vote.
The congresswoman also said that, because the issue is unresolved, she has “never felt safe” at the Capitol. Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks came just hours after a comedian crudely trolled her while she was entering the building.
In a video posted by Pablo Manríquez, a correspondent for Latino Rebels, AOC is heard sounding off to the camera, “…And that there were actual officers working with this? And we never got to the bottom of that, and we never got any answers about that? And to this day, we’re just supposed to pretend that that never happened? I have no idea what happened to the people on the inside, who were very clearly sympathetic with what was going on and opening doors wide open for that, and I’m supposed to sit here and pretend like none of that ever happened?”
Since January 6, 2021, reports have surfaced claiming that officers, in some instances, stood by as Trump-supporting protesters entered the Capitol — though the context for the reports is often unclear. At least one law enforcement officer allegedly posed for a selfie with a protester inside the Capitol.
AOC went on to argue that officers who allegedly helped the protesters must be held “accountable” and that simply throwing taxpayer dollars at the issue would not improve the situation — thus continuing to place employees in the Capitol building at risk.
“And then right afterward, you have a massive, you know, you just have this idea that throwing money at that problem is going to make it go away without any accountability,” she said to the camera. “And so this is, this is where these things are breaking down. We’re not safe. And it’s not just about members of Congress not being safe. The food staff workers aren’t safe. the janitors aren’t safe — like we need to get to the bottom of this.”
The congresswoman also tweeted, “Remember how there was tons of footage and evidence of officers & others inside on 1/6 supporting insurrectionists, but then everyone decided it was too politically risky to investigate thoroughly so they brushed under the rug and now we still have no idea who or what is safe?”
In reaction to AOC’s remarks, former advisor to the Trump campaign, Steve Cortes, tweeted, “Wait, so AOC says Capitol Police did, in fact, invite protestors into the building? One way to get to resolve all such issues? Release the tapes. All of them.”
Activists on both sides have called for the January 6 Committee investigating the riot to release the thousands of hours of security footage from inside and surrounding the building to help clarify what exactly happened.
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