Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) claimed this week that the Jan. 6 riots at the United States Capitol were just a “trial run” and that Republicans will overthrow future legitimate elections.
What did AOC say?
While speaking with constituents at a town hall on Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez hysterically warned of what she believes will be democracy-shaking consequences if Democrats lose control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections.
“If we lose the House— this is no joke. Jan. 6 was a trial run, and a lot of people don’t seem to understand that,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The New York Democrat then intensified her partisan rhetoric to conspiracy theory levels.
“It was a trial run, and they’re going to come back,” Ocasio-Cortez claimed, referring to Jan. 6 protesters.
“Here’s the technicality of what happened on Jan. 6: The only reason it wasn’t worse was because Democrats had the House and they didn’t have the votes in the House,” she continued. “And if [Republicans] take the House, then they have the votes to not authorize and legitimize the presidential election, whatever the results are, and so this is very serious.”
However, Ocasio-Cortez did not provide evidence that Jan. 6 was a “trial run” or proof corroborating her claim that “they’re going to come back.”
Ocasio-Cortez shared the video of her remarks on Twitter, but declined to offer any additional commentary.
Anything else?
Ocasio-Cortez is wrong that Republicans would possess sufficient authority to delegitimize and not authorize a future presidential election if they simply had control of the House.
To block the result of Electoral College, a majority is required in the House and Senate. The only case in which the House is the sole determiner of the presidential election is when no candidate receives a majority of the votes. Then, the House votes on the three candidates with the highest number of electoral votes, with each state having a single vote.
In 2021, nearly 150 Republican lawmakers — 139 House members and 8 senators — objected to certifying the results of the presidential election.