New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed that conservative journalist Nick Sortor touched her in the United States Capitol while he filmed a video confronting her over the illegal immigration crisis.
The video, posted on the social media platform X on Sunday evening, showed Sortor questioning Ocasio-Cortez about the effects of the southern border crisis on her district, while her staff appeared to physically block his path and the lawmaker implied that he had touched her on the staircase.
“Your district is really suffering under the pressure of the border crisis,” Sortor said. “Are you talking to the Biden administration about fixing the border?”
Sortor tried to repeat the question as staffers positioned themselves between him and the lawmaker, but the journalist evaded them and eventually repositioned himself behind Ocasio-Cortez.
Towards the end of the video, the representative repeatedly said, “Sir, don’t touch me,” yet Sortor said he never laid hands on her.
“I did not touch you. I have it on video,” he remarked at the end of the tense exchange.
Sortor claimed in an X post written alongside the video that Ocasio-Cortez contacted the United States Capitol Police following the incident.
“I confronted AOC at the Capitol