Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has become known for her frequent appearances in the media, both on social media and more mainstream outlets like MSNBC.
And the socialist representative recently used her spotlight for some strange demands about Fox News and freedom of speech.
On Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez appeared on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki to discuss the recent defamation suits against Fox News. Ocasio-Cortez would have liked the Dominion case to go to trial, instead of reaching the $785.5 million settlement out of court… because she wanted the court to set a legally binding precedent restricting pundits’ speech.
“What would have been best for the country, would have been to demand [and apology] and to not settle until we got that,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We have very real issues with what is permissible on air.”
In fact, Ocasio-Cortez even wants federal regulators, like the F.C.C., to target Fox News.
“I believe that when it comes to broadcast television, like Fox News, these are subject to federal law, federal regulation in terms of what’s allowed on air and what isn’t,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“We saw that with Jan. 6 and we saw that in the lead up to Jan. 6 and how we navigate questions — not just a freedom of speech but also accountability for incitement of violence — this is the line that we have to really explore through law as well.”
For better or worse, the First Amendment makes exceptions for certain kinds of incitement to violence. The Supreme Court has written, “Advocacy of force or criminal activity does not receive First Amendment protections if (1) the advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action, and (2) is likely to incite or produce such action.”
However, Ocasio-Cortez simply accused Carlson of helping to incite the Capitol riot without actually pointing to any of Carlson’s remarks.
“When you look at what Tucker Carlson and some of these other folks on Fox do, it is very, very clearly incitement of violence… very clearly incitement of violence,” Ocasio-Cortez said, repeating her conclusion without actually proving it. “And that is the line that we have to be willing to contend with.”
How “clear” is it, really?
Take a look —
AOC calls on the government to ban Tucker Carlson and other Fox hosts
Jen Psaki nods along pic.twitter.com/2vX0ZxuASQ
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 23, 2023
Ocasio-Cortez has feuded with Carlson in the past. Last year, she insulted Carlson for calling her “rich” and “entitled.”
“She’s the pampered, obnoxious ski bunny in the matching snowsuit who tells you to pull up your mask while you’re standing in the lift line at Jackson Hole,” Carlson wrote in an op-ed last year.
During Sunday’s appearance on MSNBC, the congresswoman addressed other topics besides Fox News. Ocasio-Cortez joined former White House press secretary Jen Psaki to discuss House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the GOP’s stance on abortion, and other hot topics.
Take a look —
.@jrpsaki on Kevin McCarthy: “Do you think he’s actually running his caucus?”@AOC: “He’s not. I think you’ve got Marjorie Taylor Greene running the caucus…Every time something irks her, she communicates that McCarthy is doing her bidding.” pic.twitter.com/yUWb8UG33V
— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) April 23, 2023
The Horn editorial team