Jan 23, 2021 - Politics & Policy

DOJ: Capitol rioter threatened to "assassinate" Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

The Jan. 6 Capitol riot — Supporters of former President Trump storm the U.S. Captiol on Jan. 6. Photo: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A Texas man who has been charged with storming the U.S. Capitol in the deadly Jan. 6 siege posted death threats against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), the Department of Justice said.

The big picture: Garret Miller faces five charges in connection to the riot by supporters of former President Trump, including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and making threats. According to court documents, Miller posted violent threats online the day of the siege, including tweeting “Assassinate AOC.”

Miller’s lawyer told CNN Saturday that his client “regrets what he did.”
The lawyer also said “a lot of the comments, as viewed in context, are really sort of misguided political hyperbole.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who has faced death threats in the past, responded to the charges and a selfie allegedly posted to Facebook by Miller in which he said, "Just Wanted to Incriminate Myself a Little LOL."

"Well, you did!" Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Friday night.
"On one hand you have to laugh, and on the other know that the reason they were this brazen is because they thought they were going to succeed," she added.
In an Instagram live video on Jan. 12, Ocasio-Cortez also said she had a “very close encounter where I thought I was going to die.” The congresswoman added she could not divulge the details “due to security concerns.”

Go deeper: 2 Virginia police officers charged over Capitol riots

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DOJ: Capitol rioter threatened to "assassinate" Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

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