Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez implied in a Friday tweet that she would punish Donald Trump Jr. for mocking her socialist views by wielding congressional subpoena power against him.
The tweet — sent in response to a meme Trump Jr. shared that suggested socialists are forced to eat dogs to survive — implied that Ocasio-Cortez will target Trump Jr. with congressional investigations in retaliation for his mockery.
I have noticed that Junior here has a habit of posting nonsense about me whenever the Mueller investigation heats up.
Please, keep it coming Jr – it’s definitely a “very, very large brain” idea to troll a member of a body that will have subpoena power in a month.
Have fun! https://t.co/oQ6MsdJYCk
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 7, 2018
Trump Jr. frequently criticizes the progressive ideas espoused by Ocasio-Cortez, a 29-year-old democratic socialist. On Thursday, Trump Jr. expressed that criticism via a side-by-side image of Ocasio-Cortez and his father, accompanied by text asserting that Americans oppose socialism because they want to “walk their dogs, not eat them.”
The meme was shared with Trump Jr.’s 1.5 million followers and has garnered more than 66,000 likes and 2,500 comments.
In a subsequent tweet, Ocasio-Cortez pushed back on the charge that her initial message constituted a threat, pointing out that, as a freshman, she likely won’t have the individual subpoena power awarded solely to committee chairs.
For the GOP crying that this is a “threat” – I don’t have power to subpoena anybody.
Congress as a body, GOP included, has the power. No indiv. member can issue a subpoena unless they are a Chair (which, as a freshman, I can assure you I will not be). Also must be under purview.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 7, 2018
In the wake of her stunning summer primary upset of ten-term incumbent representative Joe Crowley (D., N.Y.), Ocasio-Cortez has frequently been targeted by conservative pundits and activists eager to criticize her deeply progressive views.
Ocasio-Cortez has responded by mocking her critics for expending energy deriding a freshman congresswoman who has not yet taken office.
“I’m not even sworn in yet. Don’t y’all have jobs to do?” she wrote on Twitter Sunday.