generic Media Promote AOC, Omar Fake Handcuff Stunt
Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) were among seventeen lawmakers arrested during a pro-abortion protest near the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Though neither was handcuffed during the arrests, both pretended to have wrist restraints on.
.@AOC has just been escorted by police away from the Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/F9DOoLq8yJ
— Douglas Blair (@DouglasKBlair) July 19, 2022
However, several media outlets did not let the absence of handcuffs deter them from making it seem that the pair had been restrained.
ABC News shared two photos to Twitter with Ocasio-Cortez and Omar pictured with their hands behind their backs as if they had been handcuffed.
JUST IN: Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and other House Democrats arrested in abortion rights protest at the Supreme Court. https://t.co/N5z1UTto8x pic.twitter.com/7MMJk2a7Rj
— ABC News (@ABC) July 19, 2022
The ABC News story that is attached to the tweet fails to mention no handcuffs were present until the fifth paragraph.
Meanwhile, stories by The Guardian and The Hill were also accompanied by photos in which Ocasio-Cortez pretends to be handcuffed. Neither mentions that she is not.
A reporter for Minnesota-based WCCO-TV shared two clips of Omar’s arrest on Twitter, suggesting the congresswoman had been handcuffed.
Among many reports of multiple female Members of Congress include @ilhanmn being arrested this video has been posted on Facebook which shows a woman who appears to be Rep Omar in handcuffs pic.twitter.com/biXuYIjMFS
— esme murphy (@esmemurphy) July 19, 2022
Staff confirms this is video of Rep @ilhanmn under arrest and in handcuffs , she and other female Members were arrested in a protest supporting abortion rights in front of the Supreme Court today pic.twitter.com/2RwOAq6U2J
— esme murphy (@esmemurphy) July 19, 2022
She later walked back her claims that Omar had been escorted away in cuffs, writing in a tweet, “it looks at the end of the clip that she is not in cuffs.”
Correction : it’s not clear in this video of @ilhanmn that she is in handcuffs – staff says she has been taken into custody along with other MOC during a pro abortion rights protest – it looks at the end of the clip that she is not in cuffs pic.twitter.com/PLtGJ2dR5C
— esme murphy (@esmemurphy) July 19, 2022
Ocasio-Cortez and Omar were among 35 people arrested for allegedly illegally blocking First Street Northwest after marching from the Capitol to the Supreme Court.
Police issued three standard warnings before arresting the demonstrators who refused to move from the street, Capitol Police said. At about 2:00 p.m., Capitol Police updated that the road was open again and the rally was cleared.
Other lawmakers who were arrested during the demonstration include Democratic Representatives Cori Bush, Katherine Clark, Nydia Velazquez, Barbara Lee, Jackie Speier, Sara Jacobs, Rashida Tlaib, Madeleine Dean, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Jan Schakowsky, Carolyn Maloney, and Andy Levin, CNN reported.
