Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was criticized after she suggested a right-wing troll who sexually harassed New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had given her “quite the compliment.”
Greene said Ocasio-Cortez should have thanked the man, known Twitter troll Alex Stein, whom she invited onto her podcast to discuss his encounter with the progressive lawmaker.
Stein, who called Ocasio-Cortez a "big booty Latina" as she tried to avoid him on the steps of the United States Capitol, claimed he had merely wanted to point out she has a "voluptuous derrière, much like "Jenny from the Block"—a reference to Puerto Rican singer Jennifer Lopez who for decades has been objectified for her curvaceous figure.
You can hear what the two said in the video below.
Stein insisted that he was merely trying to present Ocasio-Cortez with some genuine "Southern hospitality," noting that he and Greene are from Texas and Georgia respectively. He added that he doesn't view his remarks as a "negative thing," suggesting that Ocasio-Cortez and others on the left-wing "live in a society where compliments are bigotry and based in racism and hate."
Greene agreed, noting that by the rules of their culture — the "Southern hospitality" Stein emphasized — Ocasio-Cortez had gone into "full outrage" when instead "women should be confident, and if a man gives you a compliment, a woman can say ‘thank you.’”
The clip of Greene's interview soon went viral and many criticized them for excusing obvious racial and sexual harassment.
The incident garnered national attention after Ocasio-Cortez called it "deeply disgusting" and lamented the experience of working "in an institution that openly allowed this, but talking about it only invites more."
She chose to repost a video of the incident and admitted she was ready to "deck him because if no one will protect us then I'll do it myself.
"Stein continued to troll Ocasio-Cortez after she posted the video online, telling her if "you really love me you would of [sic] at least tagged me." After she chose to block him from seeing and responding to her posts, he responded with mock devastation.
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