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.
\u201cMarjorie Taylor Greene had the man who sexually harassed AOC on her podcast and called his \u201cbig booty Latina\u201d comments, \u201cquite the compliment.\u201d\n\nMarjorie implied AOC should have said, \u201cthank you.\u201d\u201d— PatriotTakes \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@PatriotTakes \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1657846407
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.
\u201cDude's comments are gross. These are the people who voted Trump in office. It's depressing raising a daughter in this country.\u201d— Mike McDonald (@Mike McDonald) 1657998714
\u201cSexual harassment is NOT a compliment Marge\u2026\u201d— JustTess \ud83d\udd36STRENGTHEN GUN LAWS\ud83d\udd36 (@JustTess \ud83d\udd36STRENGTHEN GUN LAWS\ud83d\udd36) 1657912319
\u201cThis is @RepMTG who helped foment a seditious insurrection to stop the peaceful transfer of power b/f she was even in Office. She emboldens & platforms racists and misogynists while peddling dangerous QAnon conspiracies. She will soon have a starrring role in the #Jan6thHearings\u201d— Jacob Witt (@Jacob Witt) 1657900672
\u201cWhy is this woman allowed to hold any place in our government??\u201d— \ud83c\udccfJester's Trix\ud83c\udccf (@\ud83c\udccfJester's Trix\ud83c\udccf) 1657885051
\u201cUmm bro, that\u2019s not how you talk to women and that\u2019s definitely not southern hospitality.\u201d— Clay Eltzroth\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Clay Eltzroth\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1657885675
\u201cDeplorables is too nice a name.\u201d— Mark Stern (@Mark Stern) 1657886628
\u201cThis is one of the worst takes I've heard in a very long time...\u201d— Kyle (@Kyle) 1657887559
\u201cJust remember, scum will always be scum, no matter what.\u201d— Tammy H #Resist #Bluetsunami \ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a (@Tammy H #Resist #Bluetsunami \ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a) 1657893525
\u201cCelebrating cat callers and seditionists! We are in a very dark place. #AOC #MarjorieTaylorGreene #Harassment\u201d— LES TRENT (@LES TRENT) 1657899112
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.
