US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unleashed a series of tweets aimed at her Republican colleagues across the aisle, asking if they ever sought pardons over the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
During this House January 6 select committee’s opening hearing on Thursday, vice-chair Liz Cheney, one of the only Republicans who sits on the panel, revealed that some Republican members of Congress sought pardons from the president.
“Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonour will remain,” Ms Cheney said in her opening remarks during the hearing.
On Friday, Ms Ocasio-Cortez asked a number of Republican lawmakers about pardons. She started with Rep Matt Gaetz, with whom she had feuded on Twitter earlier on Thursday.
“Hey @mattgaetz while I have you responding to my tweets, can you respond to one more for me: Did you ever ask Trump for a pardon? Let me know in the replies! You clearly know where the button is.”
Mr Gaetz previously defended himself against Ms Ocasio-Cortez’s assertion that the Florida Republican “is a bad haircut in a cheap suit, a feat of mediocrity given that he’s here on papa’s money”.
Moving on to Rep Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, Ms Ocasio-Cortez asked: “Hey quick question Boebert, did you ask for a pardon after tweeting the Speaker’s location on Jan 6th? You and the KKK Caucus have been really quiet about it today and given how much y’all have to say I’m not sure why no one’s responding to this simple question.”
AOC’s tweet prompted Ms Boebert to trade barbs in return.
“Ok Sandy, $5 a gallon gas, 3+ million illegals crossing our southern border, no baby formula, inflation higher than it’s been in both of our lifetimes, and this is what you want to talk about? Your policies are failing America, and you’re going to lose the House come November,” the Colorado Republican replied, including a kissy-face emoji in her missive.
Finally, Ms Ocasio-Cortez directed her attention toward Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene.
During the hearing on Thursday, Ms Cheney did not reveal single out any of the lawmakers Ms Ocasio-Cortez targeted, and there is no evidence to suggest that Reps Gaetz, Boebert or Greene did ask for a pardon.
Ms Ocasio-Cortez lamented on social media following the Thursday hearing that “virtually nothing has changed” since the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. The House January 6 committee is scheduled to hold a number of additional hearings, with its next appearance set for Monday.
The committe’s next hearing is expected to focus on claims that Mr Trump knew he had legitimately lost the 2020 election, but that he launched baseless claims that victory had been stolen from him. Chris Stirewalt, a former Fox News editor, is expected to appear. Mr Trump lashed out at the Fox staffer for green-lighting the network to project that Joe Biden had won the state of Arizona, a key moment that led to Mr Trump’s Electoral College defeat.
