WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene accosted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez outside the House chamber on Wednesday, causing a scene as she shouted about the Democrats support of racial and environmental proposals, according to The Washington Post.
Greene, R-Ga., who has had prior incidents of accosting and chasing people in public she disagrees with, yelled that the New York Democrat backs groups like Black Lives Matter, calling them “terrorists,” according to the account in The Washington Post, which was witnessed by two reporters.
Ocasio-Cortez’s office confirmed The Washington Post’s account of the incident. A spokeswoman for the New York congressman also said she hoped House security would address the incident.
On Thursday morning, Greene mocked Ocasio-Cortez for supporting police reform and then wanting them to intervene after the incident.
Greene wrote on Twitter that Ocasio-Cortez supports “defund the police” but “wants to call the police for security bc she’s afraid of debating with me about her socialist” environmental plan. Greene called Ocasio-Crotez “a fraud & a hypocrite.”
The incident played out on Wednesday night near the House chamber.
“Hey Alexandria,” Greene yelled twice, according to The Washington Post report.
“You don’t care about the American people,” Greene was heard shouting after Ocasio-Cortez. “Why do you support terrorists and antifa?”
Ocasio-Cortez ignored Greene and walked away, at one point turned around and threw her hands up in a frustrated way.
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A spokeswoman for Ocasio-Cortez, Lauren Hitt, told The Washington Post that Greene tried to start an argument and she “began screaming and called Rep. Ocasio-Cortez a terrorist sympathizer” when she tried to walk away.
Hitt also told the newspaper that she hopes House leadership and the House sergeant at arms take steps “to make Congress a safe, civil place for all Members and staff.”
Greene told reporters after the encounter, “She’s a chicken, she doesn’t want to debate the Green New Deal,” referring to an environmental proposal Ocasio-Cortez has made. “These members are cowards. They need to defend their legislation to the people. That’s pathetic.”
Greene’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Greene built her political brand in part by engaging in high-profile verbal attacks on people. Before she was in Congress, Greene confronted teenage gun control advocate David Hogg outside of the U.S. Capitol. She posted the video of the incident on her social media.
This was not the first time Greene has tried confronting Ocasio-Cortez in person. She recently recounted at an event with fellow bomb thrower Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., at The Villages in Florida about a similar encounter in April. She said she told Ocasio-Cortez she wanted to debate her about the Green New Deal.
“First off, she wasn’t very happy to talk to me,” said Greene, who also tweeted about the situation. “I don’t understand why. And she said, ‘Well, have you even read it?’ I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, she sounds like my kids did when they were in high school.’ I said, ‘I’ve read most of it.’ She goes, ‘Well if you would read it, then we could talk about debating it.’ I was like, ‘Okay, I think I’ll finish the 14 pages and then we’ll debate it.’”
Haley Talbot contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
