New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out her colleague Florida Rep. Ted Yoho for insulting her and calling her a "f**king b***h" on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Monday.
HuffPost reports the conversation came in response to comments Ocasio-Cortez made linking the increase of crime in New York City to economic insecurity as a result of the coronavirus pandemic while at a campaign event in Queens.
"You are out of your mind," Yoho told Ocasio-Cortez in a brief exchange before saying she was "disgusting" for her remarks.
Ocasio-Cortez said she had never previously been challenged so aggressively since taking office.
"That kind of confrontation hasn't ever happened to me — ever," she told The Hill. "I've never had that kind of abrupt, disgusting kind of disrespect levied at me."
A reporter with The Hill overheard the encounter as the two lawmakers were walking past each other.
The New York representative responded, telling her colleague he was being rude before walking away.
The Hill reported that moments later Yoho called Ocasio-Cortez a "f**king b***h."
Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter Tuesday morning to speak about the incident, saying she had previously never interacted with Yoho before executing a classy clapback.
I never spoke to Rep. Yoho before he decided to accost me on the steps of the nation’s Capitol yesterday.
Believe it or not, I usually get along fine w/ my GOP colleagues. We know how to check our legislative sparring at the committee door.
But hey, “b*tches” get stuff done. ????????♀️ https://t.co/WlG3xccwR7
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 21, 2020
“Believe it or not, I usually get along fine [with] my GOP colleagues. We know how to check our legislative sparring at the committee door,” she wrote in a tweet.
“But hey, ‘b***hes’ get stuff done,” she added.
In a separate tweet, Ocasio-Cortez accused another colleague, Texas Rep. Roger Williams, of not stepping in while overhearing the exchange between his peers.
Gotta love Republican courage from Rep @RogerWilliamsTX: when he undeniably sees another man engaged in virulent harassment of a young woman, just pretend you never saw it in the most cartoonish manner possible and keep pushing.
(He’s lying, by the way. He joined in w/ Yoho) https://t.co/TAjvXBdd9u
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 21, 2020
"Gotta love Republican courage from Rep @RogerWilliamsTX: when he undeniably sees another man engaged in virulent harassment of a young woman, just pretend you never saw it in the most cartoonish manner possible and keep pushing," she wrote. "(He’s lying, by the way. He joined in w/ Yoho)"
A spokesperson for Yoho denied he made the obscene comment, calling the conversation a "brief member to member conversation."
“Instead, he made a brief comment to himself as he walked away, summarizing what he believes her polices to be: bulls**t,” the spokesperson said in a statement to HuffPost.
During the campaign event, Ocasio-Cortez said that people in the city were acting in response to the economic instability caused by the pandemic.
“When people do not have opportunities ― I can tell you from my personal experience and what I saw growing up ― when families don’t have money, a lot of times young people and teens that feel like they need to support their mom, sometimes they’ll turn to selling drugs, which can then lead to an escalated level of trouble, to what police label as gang activity,” she said.
“So the idea that violent crime is somehow immune, or totally separated, from the economic situation that people are going through right now, I think that’s mistaken,” she added.