PanamaTimes

Friday, Mar 29, 2024

‘MOSTLY false’? Snopes fact-checks ‘cyberbullies’ claiming that AOC ‘exaggerated danger’ she faced during Capitol Hill riot

‘MOSTLY false’? Snopes fact-checks ‘cyberbullies’ claiming that AOC ‘exaggerated danger’ she faced during Capitol Hill riot

Snopes has rated the claim that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “exaggerated” the danger she was in during the Capitol riot as “mostly false,” insisting the New York Democrat faced “imminent” harm in a different building.

After releasing a lengthy Instragam video recounting her version of events at the Capitol earlier this week, Ocasio-Cortez was accused of embellishing the danger posed to her, as she was not inside the main structure breached by rioters but rather in an office building some distance away.

Snopes has issued a ‘fact-check’ on the matter, however, ruling on Wednesday that AOC’s critics were “mostly false” in claiming the lawmaker exaggerated the threat. While the Snopes article acknowledged Ocasio-Cortez “wasn’t in the main Capitol building” during the riot, it still found a way to rate the claim “misleading.” Because her office is part of the complex and connected to the Capitol by an underground tunnel, Snopes argued, AOC was no less in “imminent physical danger.”

The lawmaker’s repeated claims that she faced a life-threatening situation during the unrest, despite her distance from the center of the chaos, triggered a wave of mockery across social media on Wednesday, pushing #AOCLied and #AlexandriaOcasioSmollett into the trends – what Snopes deemed a “circus of cyberbullying.”




The outlet’s own ‘fact-check’ was also met with ridicule, as some netizens roasted its hair-splitting ruling.

One user asked whether Snopes had reviewed AOC’s charge that Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) “tried to have her murdered.” Their fact-check does mention Cruz in passing, but only to relay Ocasio-Cortez’s claim that he helped to stoke a “incendiary disinformation campaign” by asserting fraud in the 2020 race.


The criticisms did receive some pushback, however, with Ocasio-Cortez herself arguing that rioters were attempting to storm “multiple areas” of the Capitol complex, accusing her detractors of falsely placing the “mob… further away than it was.”



The January 6 unrest on Capitol Hill saw a crowd of supporters of then-president Donald Trump storm the halls of Congress as lawmakers met to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s election win.

Five people lost their lives due to the riot, including one fatally shot by police as the crowd attempted to breach the Speaker’s lobby, and three others who died of “medical emergencies” amid the chaos. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick died the day after the incident, though investigators have failed to confirm initial reports that he was bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher, finding no signs of blunt force trauma.

Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Global Law Enforcement Dismantles Lockbit Ransomware Operation
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
The President of Argentina Javier Mile does not fly private, he flies commercial, with the citizens he represents. And they LOVE him for it.
Bitcoin Reaches $50,000 for First Time in Over Two Years
Belo Horizonte: Brazil's Rising Carnival Hotspot for 2024
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Tucker’s interview with Putin is over 50M views on X within the first 5 hours.
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
President Nayib Bukele has proudly announced El Salvador's remarkable achievement of becoming the safest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Former Chilean President Sebastian Piñera Dies in Helicopter Crash
This farmer seems to understand science a bit more than the event organizer, Klaus Schwab.
Facebook turns 20: From Mark Zuckerberg's dormitory to a $1trn company
The Coolest Dictator in the World" on the Path to Victory in El Salvador
Macron, France and fake news
Indian-Origin Man 'King' Arrested For Smuggling $16 Million Drugs Into US
Can someone teach Americans that not every person with slanted eyes is Chinese?
Europe's Farmers Feeding the People, Protesting Against Politicians Who Do Nothing for Their Country and Serve Only Themselves at Taxpayers' Expense
Paris Restaurant That Inspired 'Ratatouille' Loses $1.6 Million Worth Of Wine
Brazilian Police Investigate Bolsonaro's Son for Alleged Illegal Spying
Police in Brazil Raid Residence of Bolsonaro Associate Over Allegations of Illegal Spying
Border Dispute Escalates as Texas Governor Vows Increased Razor Wire
OpenAI Enhances ChatGPT-4 Model, Potentially Addressing AI "Laziness" Issue
The NSA finally acknowledges spying on Americans by acquiring sensitive data
Report Reveals Toxic Telegram Group Generating X-Rated AI-Generated Fake Images of Taylor Swift
US Border Patrol States 'No Plans' to Remove Razor Wire Installed in Texas
Bitcoin Experiences Approximately 20% Decline in Value
Klaus Schwab recently appointed himself as the Earth's "trustee of the future."
DeSantis Drops Out, Endorses Trump.
Nikki Haley said former President Trump is "just not at the same level" of mental fitness as he was while president in 2016.
Residents of a southern Mexican town set the government palace on fire in response to the police killing of a young man
Samsung Launches AI-Driven Galaxy S24, Ushering in New Smartphone Era
Judge Questions SEC's Regulatory Overreach in Coinbase Lawsuit
The Ecuador prosecutor who was investigating the television studio attack, has been assassinated.
Is artificial intelligence the solution to cyber security threats?
Vivek Ramaswamy suspends his US election campaign and endorses Trump.
Viral Satire: A Staged Satirical Clip Mistaken as Real Footage from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos
The AI Revolution in the Workforce: CEOs at Davos Predict Major Job Cuts in 2024
Ecuador Reports 178 Hostages in Prison Gang Standoff
The Startling Cuban Espionage Case That Has Rattled the US Government
Two Armed Men in Ecuador, Dressed as Batman and The Joker Storm the Streets.
Armed Gang Raids Ecuadorian TV Station Following State of Emergency Declaration
Anti-Democratic Canada: Journalist Arrested for Questioning Canadian Finance Minister on Support of Terrorist Group
Ecuador's 'Most-Wanted' Criminal Vanishes from Prison
Mexican Cartel Supplied Wi-Fi to Locals Under Threat of Fatal Consequences for Non-Compliance
Border Surge Leads to Over 11,000 Migrants Waiting in Northern Mexico
Outsider Candidates Triumph in Latin American Elections
As Argentina Goes to the Polls, Will the Proposal to Replace the Peso with the Dollar Secure Votes?
Fatal Shark Attack Claims Life of Boston Woman Paddleboarding Near Bahamas Resort, According to Police
×