Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said during an Instagram Live broadcast that she is a survivor of sexual assault.
Ocasio-Cortez made the statement, which appeared to be one of the first times she has spoken in public about being a survivor, in contextualizing her trauma in the wake of the insurrection at the US Capitol last month. The New York Democrat went through a detailed account of her day on January 6, recounting her experience during the riot.
She said those in Congress who are telling her "to move on," or even apologize, following the violent insurrection at the Capitol in January were using "the same tactics of abusers."
"The reason I say this and the reason I'm getting emotional in this moment is because these folks who tell us to move on, that it's not a big deal, that we should forget what's happened, or even telling us to apologize. These are the same tactics of abusers. And, um, I'm a survivor of sexual assault," Ocasio-Cortez said. The congresswoman did not share details of the assault.
"And I haven't told many people that in my life. But when we go through trauma, trauma compounds on each other. And so, whether you had a negligent or a neglectful parent, and -- or whether you had someone who was verbally abusive to you, whether you are a survivor of abuse, whether you experience any sort of trauma in your life, small to large -- these episodes can compound on one another."
Throughout a more than one-hour broadcast on Instagram Live, Ocasio-Cortez shared distressing details about her experience on January 6. One of the most harrowing aspects of the story was her retelling of when a man came into her office unannounced, banged on several doors and yelled, "Where is she?" Ocasio-Cortez said she thought that man was an insurrectionist, but he was a Capitol Police officer.
"I thought I was going to die," Ocasio-Cortez said.

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