The first-year Democrat, a star on the left who has become one of the most recognized figures in politics, has been vilified by Republicans on and off Capitol Hill since she was elected in 2018. Republican agents frequently wear Ocasio-Cortez, who is a Socialist Democrat, in campaign ads to hit other Democrats.
Yoho called Ocasio-Cortez “disgusting” when he passed her on the steps of the Capitol on Monday, referring to his comments on the crime, The Hill reported. “You are crazy,” he said.
In response, Ocasio-Cortez told Yoho that he was being “rude,” and then kept walking. The journalist heard Yoho saying: “F — ing b —-“. His office has denied that he made those comments.
“Congressman Yoho had a brief member-to-member conversation about the steps of the Capitol,” Yoho spokesman Brian Kaveney said in a statement.
“He did not call Representative Ocasio-Cortez because of what was reported at the Hill or by any name,” he said. Instead, he made a brief comment as he walked away summarizing what he thinks his policies are: Bulls — “.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) Said Tuesday that Yoho should publicly apologize and that his conduct “should be sanctioned,” although he did not elaborate on what that might entail.
“Mr. Yoho owes not only the congresswoman an apology, but also an apology on the floor of the House of Representatives,” Hoyer told reporters. “We need to pursue this type of behavior and make it very clear that it is unacceptable.”
Several House Democrats rushed to endorse New York’s freshman after the report, which quickly went viral on social media. Lawmakers criticized Yoho’s comments as sexist, noting that women of color should endure such confrontations more than their white and male counterparts.
“No one should experience that kind of hatred,” representative Deb Haaland (DN.M.) tweeted. “For some, fierce women are scary. Stay strong.”
Heather Caygle contributed to this report.
