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Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez comforts Rashida Tlaib as she breaks down in House recounting 'paralyzing' death threats

'On my very first day of orientation, I got my first death threat,' Tlaib remembered and said how her staffers don't inform her about the threats now

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rushed to comfort fellow "Squad" member Rep. Rashida Tlaib as the latter broke down on the House floor on Thursday, February 4 while recounting death threats she has received for being a Muslim woman in Congress. Tlaib and several other members of Congress came together during a special order hour organized by Ocasio-Cortez to tell stories about what they personally went through as the Capitol riots ensued on January 6, The Daily Wire reported.

Tlaib, who was not present at the Capitol complex during the riot, was moved nonetheless while remembering how the riot made her feel. She started to cry almost as soon as she took the lectern. “On my very first day of orientation, I got my first death threat,” Tlaib began. “It was a serious one. They took me aside, the FBI had to go to the gentleman’s home. I didn’t even get sworn in yet and someone wanted me dead for just existing. More came later. Uglier, more violent.”

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Tlaib got more emotional as she recalled a death threat she received that allegedly celebrated the New Zealand mosque shootings and another that allegedly mentioned her son by name. “Each one paralyzed me each time,” Tlaib continued, before Ocasio-Cortez rushed into the frame to console her. “So what happened on January 6, all I could do was thank Allah that I wasn’t here.”

According to Tlaib, her staff now keeps her death threats away from her knowledge because they "paralyze her with fear," The Daily Wire reported. “All I wanted to do was to come here and serve the people that raised me,” Tlaib said through tears. “And so it’s hard. It’s hard when my seven brothers and six sisters beg me to get protection, many urging me to get a gun for the first time. And I have to tell you, the trauma for just being here and existing as a Muslima is so hard.”

As Tlaib's voice began trembling once again, Ocasio-Cortez moved back into the frame. The Michigan Democrat said she feared for her staff because it constituted a diverse team of LGBT people, Blacks, and Muslims. House members who were listed for the special order hour consisted of only Democrats, according to a press release earlier. These included Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Cori Bush (D-GA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Mark Takano (D-CA), and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), according to The Daily Wire.

Ocasio-Cortez recently sparked controversy after she was accused of exaggerating her account of the Capitol riot and the threat she had personally faced. That said, many on social media rushed to offer their support to Tlaib following her meltdown on the House floor. "Before you conclude your night, listen to this. Hear every word, but hear her humanity as well. Hear this mom, this sister, this public servant. Hear @RashidaTlaib and understand why we can’t simply move on," Former Kentucky Rep. Charles Booker tweeted.

"This is worth your time. We are traumatized as a nation and we can’t normalize where we are as a society. Please watch as @RashidaTlaib reminds us not to dehumanize hate," #MeToo activist Alyssa Milano added.