Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Eight Others Boycott State of the Union
“None of this is normal, and I will not legitimize it,” the New York representative tweeted.
Yana Paskova/Getty
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and seven other Democratic representatives announced they wouldn't attend Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. “After much deliberation, I have decided that I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump’s lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution. None of this is normal, and I will not legitimize it,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter Tuesday. Similarly, Pressley and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) announced their intention to skip the speech.
According to The Hill, Reps. Al Green (D-TX), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Hank Johnson (D-GA), and Frederica Wilson (D-FL) also said they would not attend the address. In a tweet, Green said Trump was “still engaging in a coverup”—referring to the White House’s unwillingness to cooperate in the impeachment process—and added that his “reckless, ruthless, lawless, shameless, corrupt, & unapologetically bigoted” actions are dividing the country. At least six House Democrats reportedly boycotted the speech last year.
After much deliberation, I have decided that I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump’s lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 4, 2020
None of this is normal, and I will not legitimize it.
Consequently, I will not be attending the State of the Union.
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