Rep. Katie Porter defends Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Capitol riot account

Representative Katie Porter (D-CA) came to the defense of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Cuomo Prime Time Thursday as Republicans look to discount Ocasio-Cortez’s experience during the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6. Ocasio-Cortez, who is a constant target of conservative media, told of her experience that day in an Instagram Live on Monday, saying that she feared for her life. The pushback began on Thursday after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) posted a tweet stating that her office is two doors down from Ocasio-Cortez’s and that there were no insurrectionists in the hallway. However, on the day of the insurrection, Mace tweeted that they were being moved from their offices because of a nearby threat. Porter said any criticism of Ocasio-Cortez’s account is “absolutely untrue,” and confirmed that the fear was very real.

“She came to my office building. I saw her. She asked if she could come into my office. I am here to tell you and everybody, she was terrified,” Porter said, adding, “I have never seen her like that before. She was clearly very, very rattled and very, very scared.”

Porter said they hid in her office for several hours that day, with the lights and their phones turned off, unsure of what was just outside.

“We had no way to know if and when the people who had penetrated the capitol were coming through the tunnels to get us,” Porter said. “No way to know if the voices that we heard in the hallway were those of police officers or those of the mob.”

Video Transcript

CHRIS CUOMO: Another angle attack they have to get away from January 6-- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Congresswoman from New York, faked her account. Do you think that is fair because she was in the adjacent Cannon building?

KATIE PORTER: This is absolutely-- that is absolutely untrue.

KYLIE MAR: Representative Katie Porter joined "Cuomo Prime Time" Thursday, where she came to the defense of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as Republicans now question Ocasio Cortez's account of her experience during the Capitol insurrection on January 6. On Monday, Ocasio-Cortez recounted her experience on Instagram Live. And Porter says the fear was very real.

KATIE PORTER: She came to my office building. I saw her. She asked if she can come into my office. And I am here to tell you and everybody she was terrified. I have never seen her like that before. She was clearly very, very rattled and very, very scared.

KYLIE MAR: The controversy began Thursday morning when Republican representative Nancy Mace tweeted, "I'm two doors down from AOC and no insurrectionists stormed our hallway." However, on January 6, as the insurrection was happening, Mace sang a different tune, tweeting, "just evacuated my office in Cannon due to a nearby threat." Porter said she and Ocasio-Cortez hid in her office for several hours that day, unsure of what was happening just outside.

KATIE PORTER: We had no way to know if and when the people who had penetrated the Capitol were coming through the tunnels to get us; no way to know if the voices that we heard in the hallway were those of police officers or those of the mob.

KYLIE MAR: Porter added that everyone experienced the insurrection differently, and that Ocasio-Cortez's experience should not be discounted.

KATIE PORTER: Some of them were evacuated by Secret Service. Some of them were on their own. But there's no point in taking away her experiences. The goal here is to make sure that the Capitol is a safe workplace where we can focus on doing the job that the American people sent us there to do.