Ocasio-Cortez says GOP colleagues who sought pardons ‘should be expelled’ from Congress

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says any of her Republican colleagues in Congress who sought pardons over Jan. 6 “should be expelled” from the House.

In seeking a pardon from former President Trump, the New York Democrat told Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” on Tuesday “you are admitting to committing a crime.”

The House select committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol disclosed last week that aides to Trump testified that at least a half-dozen GOP lawmakers asked for presidential pardons for their role in voting to overturn election results in certain states.

Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Andy Biggs (Ariz.) and Scott Perry (Pa.) were named in the testimony as having sought pardons.

“I will say, bare minimum, those who specifically thought pardons for themselves should be expelled from the United States House of Representatives, beyond a shadow of a doubt,” Ocasio-Cortez said to applause.

“They were willing to commit crimes in order to illegally seize power,” Ocasio-Cortez continued, “and no person of any power, of any seat, of any party, should be willing to do that in order to undermine our democracy.”

“But that’s just the bare minimum,” Ocasio-Cortez told the CBS host.

“I do believe that many of these individuals need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent o... (Read more)

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