Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s popularity seems to have no bounds. But her daily hot takes about her relationship with the media are bordering on ridiculous.
The fresh-faced New York Democrat with a high profile is the subject of new stories on a daily basis. It appears she breathes and reporters of all stripes will write about her.
But how about when her mother invites a Daily Mail reporter into her Florida home as she whips up lasagna and shows him around? In the course of their playdate or interview (however you want to view this), her “privacy-loving” mother told the reporter that she hoped her daughter would get married soon. She also admitted that she moved from New York to Florida because her taxes plummeted from $10K to $700. Also in the mix: Tammy, the “loud rescue mix” who also lives there.
And now, suddenly, the press is harassing AOC.
In January, she attacked The Daily Caller for a story that defended her when a nudie pic was released on Reddit and was pronounced to be the congresswoman — it wasn’t her, which my story made clear in the lede. It’s a small, weird world: The picture belonged to Sydney Elaine Leathers, ex-sexting partner to ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.). It was a story that similarly appeared in HuffPost and other lefty pubs. But to her, The Daily Caller — which she called “disgusting” — somehow ran the rotten story in the bunch. (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez Tries To Shame New York Post)
Amid her attacks on The Daily Caller, she complained that a Daily Mail reporter, Ruth Styles, had been pestering her boyfriend’s parents, offering money for stories about AOC. “There’s also a Daily Mail reporter (Ruth Styles) going to my boyfriend’s relatives homes offering cash for ‘stories,'” she tweeted.
It’s March. Suddenly Ocasio-Cortez’s mother, Blanca Ocasio-Cortez, is OK with The Daily Mail and welcomes the reporter, Jose Lambiet, into her Eustis, Florida home for what the tabloid described was an “EXCLUSIVE” interview? Did Daily Mail pay Blanca for the interview? AOC’s press office replied to a query about it with silence.
The Hill’s gossip writer, Judy Kurtz, reached into the Daily Mail story and wrote up AOC’s mother’s wish for her daughter to get married soon. By D.C. standards, it was as tame as tame could be. Her piece stressed that Blanca Ocasio-Cortez really loves her longtime beau, Riley Roberts.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s mom hopes she gets married soon https://t.co/JUcfXh0oI0 pic.twitter.com/KteAJcWZLp
— The Hill (@thehill) March 4, 2019
AOC didn’t wait long to attack The Hill, saying she thought members of Congress were safe from reports about their personal lives.
“You know, when I got to DC, I was told that it’s considered ‘off-limits’ to report on a member’s family, love life, etc,” AOC tweeted. “Unsure why that consideration is suspended for me. (Also for those who ask how I learned to handle pressure, try being the only daughter in a Latino household.)”
Was the supposedly social media-savvy lawmaker napping during the pre-prison Anthony Weiner saga? More importantly, free advice for AOC: Call your mother. She gave this interview without putting up a fight or calling the police. (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez Claims Unfair Media Treatment — These Headlines Prove That’s Fake News)
Maybe Ocasio-Cortez, 29, has confused herself with White House first children? Largely, yes, reporters generally avoid writing personal stories about children living in the White House who are minors like Barron Trump, who is only 12. Harvard student Malia Obama, 20, has hardly been spared.
In what world does AOC believe that she is not a public figure?
With her latest attack on The Hill, it’s clear that she’s taking a page out of President Trump‘s playbook and attacking the media as an entity.
Back in December, AOC blasted Politico for its “junk articles” about her. The crux of one piece was that the congresswoman planned to help an African American Democrat present a primary challenge to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
“One disappointment about DC is the gossip that masquerades as ‘reporting.’ This story has: Not a SINGLE named or verifiable source. Only ONE on-the-record comment, which is a denial. My dad had a name for junk articles like this: ‘Birdcage lining,'” she tweeted at the time. “For the record, this is the second @politico article about me in a short period of time with *0* named sources to back claims containing false information. Their articles are printed + distributed to **Congressional offices** – w/ no named sources. It’s really unfortunate.”
Like Weiner, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Omarosa Manigault, Sean Spicer, Hillary Clinton, Hope Hicks and countless others who came before her, if AOC doesn’t like the heat of the press, she may want to step out of the kitchen.