Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says a GOP congressman "accosted" her on the steps of the Capitol
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Tuesday about being aggressively confronted by Republican Representative Ted Yoho on the Capitol steps the day before.
"I never spoke to Rep. Yoho before he decided to accost me on the steps of the nation's Capitol yesterday," Ocasio-Cortez wrote. "Believe it or not, I usually get along fine w/ my GOP colleagues. We know how to check our legislative sparring at the committee door. But hey, 'b*tches' get stuff done."
The representative from New York was referring to Yoho reportedly calling her a "f***ing b****" during the confrontation, which was first reported by The Hill. In the tweet about the Florida representative, Ocasio-Cortez included The Hill article about the incident.
The exchange between the two congresspeople was "brief but heated," according to reporter Mike Lillis, who said a reporter overheard Yoho tell Ocasio-Cortez she was "disgusting" for suggesting that poverty and unemployment have caused an increase crime during the coronavirus pandemic in New York City.
According to The Hill, Yoho told Ocasio-Cortez: "You are out of your freaking mind, and she responded by calling Yoho "rude."
After walking away from each other, Yoho, who was with Representative Roger Williams, said Ocasio-Cortez was a "f***ing b****," according to the Hill.
Ocasio-Cortez also addressed Williams' involvement in the incident in another tweet. "Gotta love Republican courage from Rep @RogerWilliamsTX: when he undeniably sees another man engaged in virulent harassment of a young woman, just pretend you never saw it in the most cartoonish manner possible and keep pushing. (He's lying, by the way. He joined in w/ Yoho)," she wrote.
In a statement obtained by CBS News, Yoho's office denied the Hill's claims that he called Ocasio-Cortez an obscenity. Yoho's office said he "had a brief member to member conversation on the steps of the Capitol and that "these conversations happen frequently when the House is in session."
"He did not call Representative Ocasio-Cortez what has been reported in the Hill or any name for that matter. It sounds better for the Hill newspaper and gets more media attention to say he called her a name - which he did not do," the statement reads. "It is unfortunate that Representative Ocasio-Cortez is using this exchange to gain personal attention."
"Instead, he made a brief comment to himself as he walked away summarizing what he believes her polices to be: bullsh**," the statement continues.
CBS News has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez and Williams for comment and is awaiting response.
Some of Ocasio-Cortez's colleagues tweeted about the reported incident and the gender disparity in how she was treated.
"I have suggested the same thing that @aoc has poverty & unemployment lead to crime," tweeted Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego of Arizona. "Weird neither Yoho or any other member has ever talked to me that way."
"Like @aoc, I believe poverty to be a root cause of crime. Wonder why Rep. Yoho hasn't accosted me on the Capitol steps with the same sentiment? #shameful," tweeted Democratic Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota.
