Minor league baseball team plays video that depicts Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as an "enemy of freedom"
A minor league baseball team in California is apologizing after displaying a YouTube video on a big screen that depicted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as an "enemy of freedom."
The Fresno Grizzlies, a Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, played the Memorial Day tribute video during its doubleheader against the El Paso Chihuahuas, CBS Sacramento reported. It features images of U.S. soldiers, fighter jets and monuments while playing former President Ronald Reagan's 1981 Inaugural Address.
When Reagan speaks of America's "enemies of freedom," an image of Ocasio-Cortez appears in a montage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, former Cuban President Fidel Castro and anti-fascism protesters.
The team said in a statement early Tuesday that they were "aware of the problem with the Memorial Day tribute video."
"A pre-produced video from outside our front office was selected; unfortunately what was supposed to be a moving tribute ended with some misleading and offensive editing, which made a statement that was not our intent and certainly not our opinion," the team said.
"We apologize to our fans and to our community for the error and for not properly vetting the video," it added. "We also apologize to those who have served and are currently serving the country for the undue distraction on such a solemn day."
The team also directly apologized to the congresswoman on Twitter: "We unconditionally apologize to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez in addition to our fans, community and those we hurt."