Today in news that proves the wildly inappropriate gall and audacity of GOP lawmakers, The Hill is reporting that Ted Yoho, a Republican Congressman representing Florida, confronted and accosted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the Capitol steps this week. According to a reporter who overheard the flare-up, Yoho reportedly called her “disgusting” and told her she was “out of [her] freaking mind.” As if that weren’t ugly and pathetic enough, the reporter then heard him refer to AOC as a “f**king bi**h” under his breath as he walked away from her.
The whole thing apparently revolved around Yoho being angry that AOC suggested a surge in New York City’s crime rates has to do with poverty and unemployment, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“Republicans are all upset that I’m connecting the dots between poverty and crime,” she wrote in a recent Twitter thread. “I know most of them haven’t experienced or seen these issues first hand, but I have. This may be hard for them to admit, but poverty and crime are highly linked, both violent & nonviolent alike.”
It’s kind of a mystery why Yoho felt the need to focus so much on AOC’s observations instead of, gee, who knows, maybe the fact that Florida’s coronavirus cases have been growing by more than 10,000 every 24 hours for six consecutive days. And it’s shocking that he would dare to treat a colleague that way if the reports are accurate, yet here we are. AOC seemed understandably rattled by Yoho’s aggression, saying, according to The Hill, “That kind of confrontation hasn’t ever happened to me—ever. I’ve never had that kind of abrupt, disgusting kind of disrespect levied at me.”
When he was approached for comment later, Yoho responded with the exact kind of cowardice that exemplifies this entire exchange. “No comment,” he said.