Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recounted on Monday in a live Instagram broadcast the fear she experienced during the assault on the Capitol encouraged by former President Donald Trump, in which five people died.
The New York Democrat said she hid in her office bathroom while a man repeatedly yelled,
"Where is he?"
While discussing this traumatic episode, Ocasio-Cortez, 31, revealed that she was the victim of a sexual assault in the past.
"I am a survivor of a sexual assault," she
said, visibly shaken.
"I have not told many people in my life. But when we go through trauma,
trauma accumulates,
" he continued during this live broadcast, in front of nearly 150,000 viewers.
["You almost got me killed." Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez demands the resignation of Ted Cruz for encouraging the assault on the Capitol]
The congresswoman rebuked those who, according to her, wanted Americans to leave that day behind and not recognize the impact that event had.
"These people who tell us to turn the page, that it is not a big problem, that we should forget what happened, or even tell us to apologize.
These are the same tactics of the abusers,
" he said.
Ocasio-Cortez noted that the atmosphere around the Capitol and Washington DC had begun to feel more tense and volatile in the days leading up to the insurrection.
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That day, Ocasio-Cortez was in her office when she heard
repeated knocks on the door
, as if someone was trying to enter, she said.
His legislative director then told him to hide, so he went to the bathroom.
It was then that she heard a man yelling and trying to find her.
"I have never been quieter in my life," she
said.
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Shortly after, when his legislative director told him to do so, Ocasio-Cortez came out of hiding and saw a Capitol Police officer in the office.
He told her and other congressmen to go to another building, but did not tell them specifically where or accompany them, so she felt unsafe, she said.
"You don't know if that person was really trying to protect you or not," he
pointed out.
About two weeks ago, a Texas man was arrested who posted numerous comments and images on social media showing him participating in the assault on the Capitol and calling for the murder of Ocasio-Cortez in a tweet.
Garret Miller, 34, was taken into custody and held in the Dallas County Jail before being transferred to federal custody.
Miller now faces charges in the United States District Court related to the robbery of the Capitol.
Miller is one of at least 119 people facing federal charges in connection with crimes committed during the Capitol riots.
With information from AP and The New York Times.
