The images of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., seemingly pretending to be handcuffed on Tuesday as they were escorted away from the Supreme Court by police drew amusement and ridicule on the right.
Along with left-wing “Squad” members like Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and several other House Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez and Omar joined an abortion rights protest by the Supreme Court that blocked traffic, leading to Capitol Police taking her away.Â
Video caught Ocasio-Cortez walking away with a policeman holding her and another protester’s arms, smirking, with her hands behind her back in the typical handcuffs pose, yet she wasn’t cuffed. At one point, she raised a fist to the crowd in solidarity, confirming she wasn’t being constrained. Omar also could be seen in a video walking away from the protest with her hands behind her back in handcuffs pose, despite not wearing them.
Ocasio-Cortez, a lightning rod of criticism on the right, predictably lit up Twitter when the image went viral Tuesday afternoon, as critics mocked her for seemingly playing up the drama of her encounter with law enforcement.
“Her pretending to be handcuffed is just spectacular,” National Review’s Charles C. W. Cooke tweeted.
“Is…is she pretending to be handcuffed?” the National Journalism Center’s Becket Adams reacted.
“This is too much,” GOP flack Matt Whitlock wrote.
“So @AOC is a criminal insurrectionist who should be banned from federal office?” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton joked.
This is just sad!
