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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Thursday tweet, in which she appeared to accuse Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, of being complicit in attempted murder, has received some pushback from House Republicans who have added their names to a letter demanding that she apologize.
The ordeal began when Cruz tweeted that he agreed with Ocasio-Cortez’s assertion that the decision by Robinhood, the online trading platform, to block retail investors might require a hearing by the Financial Services Committee.
Ocasio-Cortez said she was “happy to work with Republicans on this issue where there’s common ground,” but accused Cruz of almost having her “murdered” during the siege on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
She was evidently insinuating that Cruz’s objection to the Jan. 6 certification of the presidential election results helped inspire a mob to storm the Capitol, forcing lawmakers inside to go into hiding.
“Happy to work w/ almost any other GOP that aren’t trying to get me killed,” she tweeted. “In the meantime if you want to help, you can resign.”
Fox News reached out to President Joe Biden’s office later Thursday asking if the congresswoman’s message – accusing Cruz of almost having her murdered – comport’s with the new administration’s message of unity, but has not gotten a response back.
On Thursday, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., asking her to make the New York Democrat retract her “scurrilous charge” against Cruz. By Monday, 13 additional House lawmakers signed on to the letter.
“It has come to our attention that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sent out a tweet in which she accused Sen. Cruz, in essence, of attempted murder,” the letter said. “We believe this is completely unacceptable behavior for a member of Congress to make this kind of scurrilous charge against another member, in the House or Senate, for simply engaging in speech and debate regarding electors as they interpreted the Constitution.”
It added: “It is our sincere hope that we all stop this heightened rhetoric and move forward to actually do the work the American people sent us here to do.”
In addition to Roy, the letter was signed by Reps. Randy Weber, Pete Sessions, Michael Burgess, Ronny Jackson, and Pat Fallon of Texas, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Jody Hice of Georgia, Doug LaMalfa of California, Barry Moore of Alabama, Madison Cawthorn of North Caroolina, Yvette Herrell of New Mexico, and Jeff Duncan of South Carolina.
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