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Republican social media users have been astonished to find that they “actually agree” with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after she laid into the head of the Secret Service over the failed assassination attempt of Donald Trump.
The New York Democrat known for her progressive activism, blasted the lengthy time taken to prepare a report on the recent assassination attempt on Trump as “not acceptable.”
During Monday’s hearing of the House Oversight Committee, the agency’s director Kimberly Cheatle admitted that the incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, had been “the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades.”
A report into what went wrong was targeted to take 60 days, Cheatle told the committee, prompting strong remarks from Ocasio-Cortez.
“The notion of a report coming out in 60 days when the threat environment is so high in the United States, irrespective of party, is not acceptable,” she said.
“I think it’s very important to understand that this is not about theater, this is not about jockeying – this is about the safety of some of the most highly targeted and valued targets internationally and domestically in the United States of America.
“So the idea that a report will be finalized in 60 days, let alone prior to any actionable decisions that would be made, is simply not acceptable. It has been 10 days since an assassination attempt on a former president regardless of party. There need to be answers.”
AOC is no stranger to online attacks from Republicans and supporters of Donald Trump. She was one of the first four members of “The Squad” – a group of nine individuals known for being among the most progressive and left-wing members of Congress – alongside Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib.
The former president previously posted on Twitter, now X, that the members should “go back [to]... crime infested places from which they came” – comments that were widely condemned as being racist.
Responding to a clip of AOC’s remarks, which circulated online, many users were surprised to find themselves agreeing with the congresswoman and her stance.
“I’m actually agreeing with AOC. Am I in a parallel universe?” wrote one, with another adding: “I did not have AOC being critical of the secret service (or any government agency) on my bingo card today.”
“A broken clock is right twice a day. Never thought I'd hear myself agree with AOC on anything, but here we are,” wrote another.
Others were more magnanimous, with one user writing: “I'm not a supporter, but I gotta give @AOC sincere credit where credit is due.”
