White Congressman Tells AOC To Accept Colleagues Non-Apology Apology
Update: July 24 House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy believes that Rep. AOC should accept Rep. Ted Yoho’s non-apology for verbally accosting her. The moment was caught by reporters and the backlash was immediate.
After being accosted by Rep. Ted Yoho, Rep. AOC took to the House floor and called out his lack of an apology.
Rep. AOC spoke on the house floor with the anger and frustration of women across the country. She spoke about Rep. Yoho’s lack of an apology without flinching as she repeated the words said to her: “f*cking b*tch.”
“It is cultural. It is a culture of lack of impunity, of accepting violence and violent language against women, an entire structure of power that supports that,” AOC said. She added: “Mr. Yoho mentioned that he has a wife and two daughters – I am two years younger than Mr. Yoho’s youngest daughter. I am someone’s daughter, too. My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr. Yoho’s disrespect.”
Yet, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy thinks Rep. AOC should accept the apology.
Rep. McCarthy, while speaking to the press, sided with Rep. Yoho and claims to have heard a sincere apology to Rep. AOC. Fellow colleagues disagree with his assertion and his call for Rep. AOC to accept the apology she does not feel was sincere.
“When you do that to any woman,” Rep. AOC continued, “you give permission to other men to do that to his daughters.”
Update: July 22 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out Rep Ted Yoho for his non-apology apology. The congressman spoke on the House floor and offered some words to apologize for how his language was “misconstrued.” People are calling him out for not apologizing to Rep. AOC.
Rep. Ted Yoho spook on the House floor to address the comments against Rep. AOC.
During the speech, Rep. Yoho doesn’t address Rep. AOC directly and apologizes for the way his words were received. Rep. Yoho is reacting to the stories of him verbally berating Rep. AOC on the Capitol stairs.
“I will commit to each of you that I will conduct myself from a place of passion and understanding that policy and political disagreement be vigorously debated with the knowledge that we approach the problems facing our nation with the betterment of the country in mind and the people we serve,” Rep. Yoho said in the speech. “I cannot apologize for my passion or for loving my God, my family and my country.”
Rep. AOC was quick to call out Rep. Yoho after he didn’t address her by name.
Rep. AOC, whose sentiment was echoed by colleagues and political pundits, is called Rep. Yoho out for not apologizing. Instead, Rep. AOC points out that Rep. Yoho did not fully address her and turned the speech into a chance to frame himself as passionate as a way to excuse his comments. Rep. Yoho even said that the words “f*cking b*tch” were not intended to be addressing Rep. AOC.
Original: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is no stranger to attacks but the latest attack was a bit too far. The congresswoman was verbally attacked on the steps of the Capital in front of reporters. This one, overheard by reporters, shows a different level of disagreement in our government.
This is Representative Ted Yoho of Florida.
Rep. Yoho has been a member of Congress representing Florida’s 3rd congressional district. The district includes Gainesville, home of the University of Florida, and Ocala.
Rep. Yoho was heard on the steps of the capital calling AOC a “f*cking b*tch.”
According to The Hill, the confrontation started as the two members of Congress were passing each other on the stairs. Rep. Yoho allegedly began the altercation calling AOC “disgusting” over her comments that New York’s spike in crime has been caused by the pandemic.
“Maybe this has to do with the fact that people aren’t paying their rent and are scared to pay their rent and so they go out and they need to feed their child and they don’t have money so … they feel like they either need to shoplift some bread or go hungry,” AOC said during a virtual town hall by The Hill.
“You are out of your freaking mind,” Yoho told her, according to The Hill.
Fellow Congress members came to AOC’s defense.
The comments have stunned many who have read them but these are not a surprise, according to some. The comments echo some of the same rhetoric heard on Fox News and other right-wing media organizations.
AOC responded to Rep. Yoho and called him rude for his comments. The two continued on their ways and that’s when Rep. Yoho, who had joined Rep. Roger William of Texas, said, “Fucking bitch.” The Hill does clarify that the comment was made to no one in particular.
Some members have called out the remarks as being sexist.
Rep. Ruben Gallegos of Arizona tweeted in defense of AOC saying that he has been saying the same thing but has never been accosted like that. One thing is clear, AOC is not letting it get her down.
