Mary Margaret Olohan on June 12, 2019
Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the United States has committed “unspeakable horrors” in the name of citizenship Wednesday.
Ocasio-Cortez spoke during a committee meeting voting on whether to cite Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross with contempt of Congress, according to the Washington Examiner.
“Unspeakable horrors have been executed by the United States in the name of citizenship, in the name of determining who is a citizen, and by citizen we mean who is a person in our democracy … It is an acknowledgment of person-hood in American democracy,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
WATCH:
.@RepAOC @AOC: "Unspeakable horrors have been executed by the United States in the name of citizenship, in the name of determining who is a citizen, and by citizen we mean who is a person in our democracy…It is an acknowledgment of person-hood in American democracy." pic.twitter.com/3DsCKJpRRs
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 12, 2019
The New York representative also tweeted after her statements on the House floor, citing the Dred Scott case as an example of the “unspeakable horrors” she referred to. The Dred Scott case famously decided slaves were not citizens of the United States.
“Dred Scott. Korematsu vs. United States Citizens United,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
“Party aside, the Supreme Court has gotten things horrifyingly wrong in the past. That’s why Congress must preserve our power and independence: we are part of the check + balance.”
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1138884383715315713
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