GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz weighed in on the reported verbal altercation between his fellow Republican Rep. Ted Yoho and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday. Replying to AOC’s tweet, Gaetz wrote that the New York lawmaker “gets along” with her Republican colleagues just as she claimed.
Ocasio-Cortez shared a link of the report on Twitter, saying that she has never spoken to Yoho before the incident but added that she gets along with Republican lawmakers. Gaetz, who represents Florida’s 1st district, replied, “I can confirm that AOC gets along [with] many of her Republican colleagues on a range of things that don’t have anything to do [with] legislation or politics. She is not a b***h.”
‘F*****g b***h’: What reportedly happened between AOC and Ted Yoho
The Hill first reported on Tuesday that the confrontation purportedly happened when Ocasio-Cortez and Yoho crossed paths at the east side of Capitol. A reporter claimed they overheard the heated exchange where Yoho purportedly told Ocasio-Cortez, “You are out of your freaking mind.”
The same report points out that Yoho accosting the progressive lawmaker was fueled by AOC’s previous comments, where she linked the increasing rate of petty crimes to poverty. After Yoho disengaged, he allegedly uttered “f*****g b***h” as he continued to walk down the stairs of the Capitol. Yoho has since denied using the sexist remarks, per NBC News.
Lawmakers respond AOC and Yoho’s reported confrontation
More Democratic lawmakers came out in support of Ocasio-Cortez. Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley listed AOC’s recent congressional achievements, including the repeal of the Faircloth Amendment that was passed at the House earlier this month. It was viewed by advocates as a step toward addressing the public housing crisis.
Pressley then pointed out that Yoho was one of the four lawmakers who voted against a bill aiming to classify lynching as a federal hate crime. Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) and Dean Phillips (D-Minnesota) both said they also believe in the link between poverty and crime but has not received the same treatment as Ocasio-Cortez allegedly experienced from Yoho.
Meanwhile, AOC showed his online followers that she remains unbothered by the “haters.” In an Instagram Story post, she is seen walking toward the Capitol building while Doja Cat’s “Boss B***h” plays as her background music.
Featured photo by Matt A.J. under Creative Commons license CC BY 2.0