WASHINGTON — On July 20, the campaign office of New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Bronx was damaged by vandals, as reported by her campaign manager, Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, who mentioned “several threats against the Congresswoman’s life” in recent days.
Multiple images on social mediaShow her New York campaign office covered in red paint and a sign that reads, “AOC supports genocide in Gaza.”
Our office serves as a central point in the community, and we aim to make it a welcoming environment for everyone in our neighborhood.Hidalgo-Wohlleben posted on a July 21 tweet.
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He mentioned, “Over the past few days, we have also received several threats against the Congresswoman’s life, and we are taking this very seriously in collaboration with our security partners to ensure her safety, as well as that of our staff and volunteers.”
It was not immediately apparent who had threatened the progressive legislator or damaged her office.
Ocasio-Cortez recently cast a vote against an amendment to a defense bill that wouldhave severed $500 millionfor Israel’s missile defense initiatives. She encountered criticism for the choice fromsome other figures on the left.
The politician has justified her position on the vote,saying on Xthat the amendment, written by conservative Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, “has no effect on stopping harmful aid to Israel or halting the shipment of American weapons being utilized in Gaza.”
“I have consistently maintained that increasing the number of innocent casualties in this conflict is not helpful in bringing it to a close. This is a straightforward and clear disagreement that has been evident for a long time,” she said.
Ocasio-Cortez opposed the overall defense bill, which contains $122.5 million allocated for U.S.-Israel collaborative development initiatives, as reported by theHouse Appropriations CommitteeThe legislation was approved by the House primarily along party lines with a vote of 221-209 on July 18.
This piece first was published on USA TODAY:Ocasio-Cortez’s office was damaged following several threats to her safety, according to her campaign manager.
