Disgraced former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly got slammed by his own base on Friday for defending Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. after she was verbally harassed by a man while walking up the steps of the Capitol.
"Some loon stalked and insulted Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez then posted it. This has to stop," O'Reilly tweeted. "We need new laws to protect public officials and others. And we need them now."
Some loon stalked and insulted Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez then posted it. This has to stop. We need new laws to protect public officials and others. And we need them now.
— Bill O'Reilly (@BillOReilly) July 14, 2022
O'Reilly was immediately mocked by his fellow conservatives, who pointed out that pundit had left Fox News in 2017 after it was revealed that he'd sexually harrassed multiple women at the network.
"Bill remind me why you got fired from @FoxNews? Didn't you pay for multiple sexually harass lawsuits?" tweeted Alex Stein, a contributor at the right-wing BlazeTV and the provocateur who harrassed the congresswoman.
Bill remind me why you got fired from @FoxNews? Didn’t you pay for multiple sexually harass lawsuits? https://t.co/GwtF6A4HZ0
— Alex Stein #99 (@alexstein99) July 14, 2022
RELATED: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez opens up about receiving death threats as the result of far-right hate
"They need protection from perverts like you," echoed conservative author Michael Malice.
They need protection from perverts like you
— Michael Malice (@michaelmalice) July 15, 2022
Steve Deace, a host at BlazeTV, also joined the chorus, asking, "Why do we make these has-been hacks like Bill 'fire the unjabbed cops' O'Reilly mind-numbingly rich, only to have them then turn around and betray us at every turn later on?"
Why do we make these has-been hacks like Bill “fire the unjabbed cops” O’Reilly mind-numbingly rich, only to have them then turn around and betray us at every turn later on? https://t.co/fhiPGTJQBq
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) July 14, 2022
Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.
Protect them from WHAT, Bill? Being spoken to?
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) July 15, 2022
Nah. A new law will get enforced against us only. https://t.co/pj1EJTqzeR
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) July 15, 2022
SHE STILL AIN’T GONNA LOOFAH YOU, BRO! @alexstein99 https://t.co/nWKpvvCgLL
— Lenny Dykstra (@LennyDykstra) July 15, 2022
The online exchange came just hours after Ocasio-Cortez was sexually harassed by Stein just outside of the Capitol complex while walking up a staircase.
RELATED: Dem lawmaker shares vile audio of death threats against her family since Trump targeted her
"Here's AOC, my favorite big booty Latina," Stein says in a video while filming her. "I love you AOC, you're my favorite. She wants to kill babies but she's still beautiful, you look very beautiful in that dress, you look very sexy".
Here is a video he posted of the incident. I was actually walking over to deck him because if no one will protect us then I’ll do it myself but I needed to catch a vote more than a case today pic.twitter.com/RdwCNBDIBb
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 14, 2022
Ocasio-Cortez then condemned Stein over Twitter.
"The normalization of this event and this dismissiveness is dangerous," Ocasio-Cortez told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday. "It's not just about me. It's about every person."
"It's just a bummer to work in an institution that openly allowed this, but talking about it only invites more," she later wrote online, explaining that she "took it down bc it's clearly someone seeking extremist fame."
"Just really sad."
A spokesperson told The Independent that Stein committed no criminal act but described the commentator's rhetoric as "inappropriate."
"The comments, although inappropriate, are not criminal. In the video, the man never threatened or touched the Congresswoman," they said. "Out of an abundance of caution, our officers stopped the man and ran his information, which did not show any warrants.