AOC: Trump comparing impeachment inquiry to a lynching is ‘atrocious’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) lit into President Trump on Twitter after he compared the House Democrats’ ongoing impeachment inquiry against him to a lynching.

“It is atrocious that the President would refer to one of the most horrifying, violent practices of white supremacists to pretend he is a victim of anything but his own actions,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

“Take this moment to learn [about] this dark history,& why we should support the Commission on Reparations,” she continued.

It is atrocious that the President would refer to one of the most horrifying, violent practices of white supremacists to pretend he is a victim of anything but his own actions.

Take this moment to learn abt this dark history,& why we should support the Commission on Reparations. https://t.co/UKmMdy7h0c

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 22, 2019

Her tweet comes hours after the president compared the ongoing impeachment inquiry to a lynching in a tweet early Tuesday.

“So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights,” the president tweeted. “All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here — a lynching. But we will WIN!”

{mosads}Trump’s comparison of the impeachment inquiry to a lynching, a practice in which white Americans would hang black African Americans for punishment and control, drew backlash from a number of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) condemned Trump’s use of the term shortly after, tweeting, “never should we use terms like ‘lynching’ here. The painful scourge in our history has no comparison to politics, and @realDonaldTrump should retract this immediately.”

We can all disagree on the process, and argue merits. But never should we use terms like “lynching” here. The painful scourge in our history has no comparison to politics, and @realDonaldTrump should retract this immediately. May God help us to return to a better way. https://t.co/URKNgxUfiv

— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) October 22, 2019

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), a former member of the Black Panther Party, told Trump to delete the post.

“You think this impeachment is a LYNCHING? What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked. “Do you know how many people who look like me have been lynched, since the inception of this country, by people who look like you. Delete this tweet.”

You think this impeachment is a LYNCHING? What the hell is wrong with you?

Do you know how many people who look like me have been lynched, since the inception of this country, by people who look like you. Delete this tweet. https://t.co/oTMhWo4awR

— Bobby L. Rush (@RepBobbyRush) October 22, 2019

Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), two other freshman members of the House who are a part of a group with Ocasio-Cortez known as “the squad,” also took aim at Trump over his use of the term.

Haven’t even had coffee yet & the occupant of the WH, the bigoted man who called for the execution of the exonerated 5, is tossing the word ‘lynching’ around. Lord give me the strength to not take the bait but hold this man accountable for every single thing he says and does.

— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) October 22, 2019

Over 4,000 black men, women and children were murdered in the Jim Crow era in a systematic campaign of racial terrorism.

Millions more fled their homes in the South because they feared for their lives.

Donald Trump knows exactly what he is doing. pic.twitter.com/CU6rpD9qAe

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 22, 2019