Incoming congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may have a nice welcome gift waiting for her when she officially assumes her position as a member of the new Democrat-controlled House Of Representatives in January: an ethics probe.
The gaffe-prone socialist who has been anointed as the “future” of the Democratic party by DNC boss Tom Perez may have really stepped in it this time when she threatened President Trump’s son Don Jr. with a subpoena after he sent out a meme mocking her on social media.
Trump’s meme poked fun at Ocacio-Cortez’s query of “why are you so afraid of a socialist economy?” with the snarky answer that “because Americans want to walk their dogs, not eat them” which is clearly a reference to the socialist utopia of Venezuela where starving citizens took to killing zoo animals for food.
The 29-year-old firebrand once again unleashed a tweet before pausing to consider that as an incoming member of Congress, that she is subject to certain laws that make some things taboo. For example, threatening a private citizen with retaliation for his political views.
I have noticed that Junior here has a habit of posting nonsense about me whenever the Mueller investigation heats up.
Please, keep it coming Jr – it’s definitely a “very, very large brain” idea to troll a member of a body that will have subpoena power in a month.
Have fun! https://t.co/oQ6MsdJYCk
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) December 7, 2018
It didn’t take long before conservatives pointed out that the congresswoman-elect had violated House ethics regulations with her threat against Don Jr. including Sean Davis of The Federalist who called Ocasio-Cortez on it.
It's worth noting that the official House Ethics Manual explicitly prohibits the kind of threat that @Ocasio2018 just issued against @DonaldJTrumpJr for his refusal to support her political agenda. https://t.co/rJ83EeZXGY
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) December 7, 2018
The House prohibition on the very kind of threat that @Ocasio2018 just made to @DonaldTrumpJr couldn't be clearer: lawmakers are "prohibited from threatening punitive action" against people/groups for not politically supporting the lawmaker. Ethics Committee should investigate. pic.twitter.com/NNIPp1vsyv
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) December 7, 2018
Via The Federalist, “Ocasio-Cortez Violates House Ethics Rules, Threatens Trump Jr. For Trolling Her On Twitter”:
Now, in a perfect world, we’d be holding debates about the merits of state-controlled economies versus markets via more dignified forums and mediums, but that’s not how things go in 2018. Not only is this all absurdly juvenile, but Ocasio-Cortez should be aware that, per page 150 of the House Ethics Manual, “Members…are not to take or withhold any official action on the basis of the campaign contributions or support of the involved individuals, or their partisan affiliation. Members and staff are likewise prohibited from threatening punitive action on the basis of such considerations.”
Perhaps Ocasio-Cortez should have read her orientation documents a bit more closely.
The two takeaways from this feud are clear: Ocasio-Cortez is a social media wizard hellbent on showmanship that titillates her base — which should terrify conservatives, because it worked for President Trump — and Trump Jr. has a point about socialism being the system that has created mass starvation for millions of people around the world. It also, perhaps not coincidentally, is highly correlated with authoritarianism, which of course includes speech controls.
After it dawned on her that she may have made another boo-boo, Ocasio-Cortez did what she always does; flipped it around so that she can play the victim.
For the GOP crying that this is a “threat” – I don’t have power to subpoena anybody.
Congress as a body, GOP included, has the power. No indiv. member can issue a subpoena unless they are a Chair (which, as a freshman, I can assure you I will not be). Also must be under purview.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) December 7, 2018
While it remains to be seen whether anyone actually has the stones to bring an ethics violation charge against the media sensation it would be a great way to show gullible people on the left that socialism isn’t cool.
