AOC Says Trump Is a 'Clear and Present Danger.' Calls on Cruz, Hawley to Resign

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is calling for a strong response to the attack on the Capitol that President Trump fueled. She wants Congress to act to remove Trump from office, bar him from holding federal office again, and block him from pardoning himself. She has also said Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Iowa) should resign for their role in trying to overturn the election.

“Every minute and every hour that [Trump] is in office represents a clear and present danger, not just to the United States Congress, but, frankly, to the country,” she said on ABC’s This Week.

Emphasizing the danger of the situation, the congresswoman said, “We came close to half of the House nearly dying on Wednesday.” As it is, five people have died, including a Capitol Police officer, as a direct result of the attack. And it easily could have been much worse. The violent crowd came within 10 feet of a door to the House floor and evacuating members of Congress.

She continued, “We have to understand that what happened on Wednesday was an insurrection against the United States. That is what Donald J. Trump engaged in, and that is what those who stormed the Capitol engaged in.”

The congresswoman has also been vocal on Twitter, calling for Senators Cruz and Hawley, who both opposed certifying the election results, to resign for how their “craven, self-serving actions contributed to the deaths.” And if they don’t resign, she says the Senate should expel them. AOC isn’t alone. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) have also said both senators should step down. Brown went a step further, agreeing with Ocasio-Cortez’s stance that, “If they do not resign, the Senate must expel them.”

Cruz responded to Ocasio-Cortez, calling her a “liar” and claiming he was only trying to “lead… a debate in the Senate on ensuring election integrity.” But, of course, as we know, Cruz had no evidence of widespread voter fraud to support his assertions. And, as AOC pointed out, Cruz appeared to be sending a fundraising text just two hours into the attack.

Cruz and other Republicans have said that now is the time for healing and unity. Cruz tweeted, “We must come together and put this anger and division behind us.”

But Ocasio-Cortez says the country cannot just move on. “When we talk about healing, the process of healing is separate and, in fact, requires accountability,” she said on ABC. “And so, if we allow insurrection against the United States with impunity, with no accountability, we are inviting it to happen again. That is how serious it is.”

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