Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) sent a Friday letter to Attorney-General Pam Bondi asking for “clarity” about whether the Department of Justice was investigating her regarding webinars titled ‘Know Your Rights’ organized by her office.
Tom Homan, the border czar for the Trump administration, told Fox News in an interview earlier this week that he “was working with the Department of Justice to determine whether Ocasio Cortez had crossed the line.” This was after her office held a webinar called “Know Your Rights,” which was aimed at preparing her constituents against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
I sent an email to the deputy Attorney General today. What level of impediment is this? Is this an impediment or not? Homan: “Maybe AOC will be in trouble soon.”
Ocasio Cortez, in a letter she sent to Bondi and also to President Donald Trump, wrote: “I am writing to ask for clarity about whether the Department of Justice has succumbed to political pressure or attempted to weaponize its agency against elected officials who disagree with their speech.
“In the last two weeks, Tom Homan, the ‘Border Czar,’ has appeared on numerous forums, threatening me with political prosecution, citing the resources I distributed to inform my constituents and American citizens of their constitutional and legal right,” she continued.
Ocasio Cortez continued to state that she had not received “any referral” from the federal government about a possible investigation.
She said that “Homan’s actions undermine core Constitutional Rights and that further transparency is needed.” She added that “[t]hreatening legal proceedings for exercising First Amendment rights is itself a First Amendment violation.”
She continued, “Educating the people about their rights is an important part of our responsibilities as elected officials, especially at a time when uncertainty is on the rise.” “A government which threatens DOJ investigations to suppress free speech is a danger to everyone, regardless of their political ideology.”