Republican lawmakers are demanding that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez apologize to Sen. Ted Cruz for accusing him of almost having her murdered during the January 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill.
On Thursday, Cruz had tweeted at AOC that he agreed with her that Congress should investigate Robinhood's decision to block GameStop trades.
'I am happy to work with Republicans on this issue where there's common ground, but you almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago so you can sit this one out,' Ocasio-Cortez replied on Twitter. 'Happy to work w/ almost any other GOP that aren’t trying to get me killed. In the meantime if you want to help, you can resign.'
Two of Cruz's colleagues in the House have since lashed out at AOC, a New York Democrat.
Rep. Devin Nunes, a California Republican and ally of former President Donald Trump, told Sean Hannity on Fox News Channel Thursday night that 'socialist revolutionaries' like AOC are doing their best to promote that Republicans are evil.
Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, demanding that Ocasio-Cortez apologize of 'we will be forced to find alternative means to condemn this regrettable statement,' he said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ripped into Sen. Ted Cruz after he suggested they work together to figure out why Robinhood was stopping GameStop trades tweeting, 'you almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago'
Republicans Reps. Devin Nunes (left) and Chip Roy (right) have both voiced anger at AOC over her comments about Ted Cruz, with Roy writing a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanding that the New York Democrat apologize
AOC declined the invitation to work with Sen. Ted Cruz saying, 'you almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago,' for his role in inspiring the Capitol insurrection. Cruz was among a group of Republican senators who gave weight to then President Donald Trump's lie about voter fraud
Sen. Ted Cruz had said he agreed with Ocasio-Cortez's take that Robinhood should be probed for stopping GameStop trading
'It has come to my attention that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sent out a tweet a few hours ago in which she accused Senator Ted Cruz, in essence, of attempted murder,' Roy wrote the Democratic leader. 'As a member of this body who disagreed with "objections" to the electors and who has expressed publicly my concerns about the events leading to January 6th, it 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.'
'I ask you to call on her to immediately apologize and retract her comments,' Roy said.
Cruz was one of the ringleaders of the so-called 'treason caucus' who supported a House GOP effort to challenge Electoral College votes in key swing states, which lent weight to now former President Donald Trump's claims that widespread voter fraud robbed him of a second term.
Their agreement on Robinhood was echoed on the right and left of Congress.
Among those who also called for an investigation were fellow 'Squad' member Rashida Tlaib; progressive Ted Lieu; ultra-liberal Elizabeth Warren; and on the Republican side, Pat Toomey, a fiscal conservative.
All demanded that Robinhood be forced to answer why it had stopped retail investors trading in GameStop, AMC, Nokia, BlackBerry Tootsie Rolls' parent company, headphone manufacturer Koss and swimwear company Naked Brand - while hedge funds were able to keep trading.
AOC also shared an article about a second Capitol Police officer who committed suicide in the wake of the deadly riot that killed five in the immediate aftermath. She said Cruz should resign
She added that Cruz should 'get off my timeline & stop clout-chasing' because he never apologized to Capitol police, custodial workers and members of Congress for his role in inspiring the insurrection
Cruz made his opinion known over Twitter Thursday with AOC delivering a harsh response
It was the hedge funds, not the Robinhood investors who had racked up vast losses before the app started banning trades in the stocks being bought by Reddit users.
Calls for action by Congress and the Securities Exchange Commission to address why Wall Street appeared to be treated differently from individual investors also came from Donald Trump Jr., whose father's rise is being compared to the storming of GameStop because of its origin in a populist and meme-driven 'revolt.'
But AOC and Cruz's occupation of common ground could not survive the aftermath of another insurrection - the MAGA riot on Capitol Hill on January 6.
During a January 12 Instagram live, AOC recounted, 'I can tell you that I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die.'
'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive,' she added.
As one of the most liberal members of Congress, the self-described democratic socialist would have been a top target for the right-wing crowd.
Ocasio-Cortez continued to berate Cruz in her Twitterfeed.
'While you conveniently talk about "moving on," a second Capitol police officer lost their life yesterday in the still-raging aftermath of the attacks you had a role in,' she said, sharing a story about Officer Jeffery Smith's death.
'This isn’t a joke. We need accountability, and that includes a new Senator from Texas,' the New York Democrat continued.
'You haven’t even apologized for the serious physical + mental harm you contributed to from Capitol Police & custodial workers to your own fellow members of Congress,' she said.
On January 12, AOC appeared on Instagram Live and talked about her experiences on January 6. 'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive,' she said
AOC then told Cruz: 'You can get off my timeline & stop clout-chasing. Thanks.'
'Happy to work with other GOP on this,' she offered.
Earlier Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez had criticized Robinhood for restricting retail trading of shares of GameStop and other companies that seen gains through social-media driven interest.
Ocasio-Cortez called Robinhood's decision 'unacceptable' and said as a member of the House Financial Services Committee she'd be supportive of a hearing on the matter.
'Inquiries into freezes should not be limited solely to Robinhood,' she also said. 'This is a serious matter. Committee investigators should examine any retail services freezing stock purchases in the course of potential investigations - especially those allowing sales, but freezing purchases.'
Cruz later told Capitol Hill reporters that 'there's a lot of partisan anger and rage on the Democratic side' when asked about AOC's response to his invitation to work together.
'It's, it's not healthy for our country, it's certainly not conducive of healing or unity, but everyone has to decide how they want to interact with others,' the Texas Republican said.
AOC reacted to that too.
'Oh, there's anger?' she tweeted. 'Now why would there be anger that Cruz amplified known lies about our election that fueled an insurrection that cost ppl's lives?'
'What does he think the logical response to his lies should be? A hug?' she asked.
'Maybe there's anger bc his actions deserve accountability,' Ocasio-Cortez said.
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