Feb 28, 2025 - Politics & Policy

AOC wants to know if she's under DOJ investigation

Andrew Solender

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, wearing a purple suit and sitting in a brown leather chair in the House chamber. — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sits in the U.S. House chamber during the Jan. 3, 2025 speaker election. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking if she is under investigation for advising constituents on how to communicate with immigration officers.

Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez is not the first congressional Democrat to accuse the Trump administration of unfairly targeting them with the threat of federal prosecution.

Comments by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) have been scrutinized by acting D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin as part of an initiative to prosecute threats against public officials.

Driving the news: In a letter to Bondi dated Feb. 27, Ocasio-Cortez wrote that Trump's border czar Tom Homan has "gone on multiple forums threatening political prosecution against me" for informing constituents of how to exercise their constitutional rights when talking to ICE.

Homan has accused Ocasio-Cortez of potentially interfering with law enforcement, saying earlier this month: "I've asked DOJ, where is that line of impediment."
In her letter, Ocasio-Cortez asked Bondi to respond by March 5 "with an update on the Department of Justice's response to Mr. Homan's request and ... whether my office or myself is actively under investigation."
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zoom in: Democrats informing constituents about how to talk to ICE — a response to Trump significantly ramping up immigration enforcement actions — has been an extremely inflammatory issue in Congress.

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) has repeatedly called for Somali-American Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) to be deported for telling constituents they are "not obligated" to answer questions from ICE.
Both Omar's and Ocasio-Cortez's districts are home to large immigrant populations.

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AOC wants to know if she's under DOJ investigation

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