AOC slams Trump's 'racist' Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany after 'Biden adviser' comment sparks fury
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has lashed out at White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and has accused her of being racist. McEnany on Monday, June 8, referred to the "Squad" member at a press briefing as a "Biden adviser". The firebrand leftist leader said the press secretary made the "mistake" of assuming women of color are holding a lower position or title.
AOC, who is seeking re-election this November to back her memorable 2018 win to become the youngest Congress member, originally endorsed Bernie Sanders for president but said it was important to back the Democratic presidential nominee in April after Biden emerged as the sole candidate in the fray. "@PressSec wouldn't be the first person to mistake a woman of color for having a lower position or title than she does, but Kayleigh — in case you haven’t picked up a newspaper in two years, I'm a Congresswoman," AOC tweeted on Monday, lashing out at McEnany, who took over in April.
In another tweet, she said: "The @PressSec comment is steeped in a long, hurtful and horrendous history of stripping women of color of titles and diminishing them to 'the help'. Perhaps she isn’t aware that what she did is mired in racist history. If that is the case, I look forward to her apology tomorrow."
AOC's hard-hitting tweets came in response to a tweet from Politico journalist Jake Sherman that said McEnany called the Democratic Congresswoman from the podium: "Biden adviser Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez". However, the press secretary actually did refer to AOC as a Congresswoman before calling her a Biden aide.
McEnany's words came when she responded to a question about what President Donald Trump was thinking about the "Defund the Police" movement, an idea which has gained traction across the US following the brutal death of a black American named George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis last month. In different parts, efforts are already on to reform the police either with proposals to completely disband police departments (like in Minneapolis) or slashing police funds and channelizing them to social services.
"The president is appalled by the Defund the Police movement. That fact that you have sitting congresswomen wanting to defund the police — notably Rashida Tlaib, notably Biden adviser AOC — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Clinton and Eric Holder spokesperson Brian Fallon wanting to defund our police across this country — it is extraordinary," McEnany said in her response.
White House defends McEnany
White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah later defended McEnany to tweet her exact words. She tagged AOC in her tweets in which she told the latter saying the press secretary "literally" called her a Congresswoman. The press secretary also tweeted the transcript of her media interaction with the word "Congresswoman" highlighted and asked AOC to read it. She pinned the tweet.
AOC has supported the movement to defund police departments. In an NY1 debate last Friday, June 5, the 30-year-old politician said she is "actively engaged in advocacy" for a "reduction of our NYPD budget and defunding a $6 billion NYPD budget that costs us books in the hands of our children and costs us very badly needed investment in NYCHA [New York City Housing Authority] and public housing." Her stance has put her at odds with the Congressional Black Caucus chair which has opposed the call by the Black Lives Matter organizers to defund law-keeping agencies. California Representative Karen Bass said last week that she is personally not in favor of defunding police departments.