In yet another stunning display of left-wing overreach, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is facing scrutiny after hosting a controversial webinar aimed at informing illegal immigrants on how to avoid deportation efforts by federal authorities.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) did not mince words on Monday when he suggested that the New York Democrat may have crossed the line into outright lawbreaking.
“We’re supposed to uphold the Constitution, not tell people how, you know, to evade the Constitution,” Scott stated on “The Benny Show” podcast, calling into question the legality of Ocasio-Cortez’s actions.
Scott, who has consistently championed law and order, did not hold back his criticism, adding that he didn’t believe it was “part of my job description to tell people that ‘Here’s how you don’t comply with the law.’”
“So, I think, it sure seemed like she’s violating the law,” the Florida senator said, directly challenging the Democrat congresswoman’s attempt to blur the lines between free speech and potential obstruction of federal enforcement efforts.
The webinar in question, which took place on February 12, was billed as a “Know Your Rights” seminar, allegedly providing so-called “practical guidance” for illegal immigrants facing deportation proceedings.
But many critics, including President Trump’s former border czar Tom Homan, believe Ocasio-Cortez was doing something far more insidious: actively interfering with immigration law enforcement.
Homan wasted no time in raising the alarm, stating the day after the webinar that Ocasio-Cortez might be “impeding” government operations.
“Maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now,” he remarked ominously, confirming that he had already contacted the deputy attorney general to examine the matter further.
Scott, a firm supporter of enforcing immigration laws, called for action if Ocasio-Cortez had indeed violated federal statutes.
“Look, we need to have equal protection and equal enforcement of the law,” he said. “And if she’s done something wrong, I hope Tom Homan does his job and, you know, prosecutes her to the full extent of the law.”
Rather than backing down, Ocasio-Cortez has gone on the defensive, attempting to paint herself as the victim of a political attack. In a highly unusual move, she penned a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, demanding to know whether she was under federal investigation.
In the letter, she accused the Department of Justice of “yielding to political pressure” and “attempts to weaponize the agency against elected officials whose speech they disagree with.”
“It has been 14 days since Mr. Homan first threatened to weaponize your agency, but I have not yet heard any referral from the federal government,” she wrote, suggesting that the former border official’s actions “undercut core Constitutional rights.”
The saga took another twist on Monday, when speculation arose on conservative social media that Bondi is preparing to file federal charges against Ocasio-Cortez.
One viral post read: “I’m hearing AG Pam Bondi is reportedly going to charge Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for instructing illegal aliens how to avoid ICE.”
The post continued, “THIS is the only way elected officials stop breaking federal immigration laws. Lawyer up, AOC.”
Ocasio-Cortez attempted to justify her actions in an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, claiming her goal was to educate her constituents about their “constitutional protections.”
“My job is to educate and act as a liaison of critical information to my constituents,” she insisted. “And I was informing all of my constituents of their constitutional protections and, in particular, their constitutional protections against illegal search and seizure in the United States.”
Inskeep pushed back, noting that Homan believed she was “giving advice to people who were [in the United States] illegally.”
“Were you?” he asked pointedly.
Ocasio-Cortez responded, “I was giving advice to all of my constituents.”
In a further attempt to control the narrative, Ocasio-Cortez revealed her intention to reach out to the DOJ herself, claiming she wanted clarity on whether the Trump administration was engaging in “political intimidation.”
When asked what she hoped to accomplish, she replied, “I think it’s important to know where this administration stands and if they intend on using political intimidation to silence their critics.”
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