Fact check: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez arrested during protest at the Supreme Court
The claim: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not get arrested while protesting at the Supreme Court
Capitol Police arrested 35 people, including 17 members of Congress, July 19 after protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court to rally against the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Among the protesters photographed being arrested was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
But a July 19 Facebook post claimed Ocasio-Cortez was not arrested.
The post, which accrued 30 shares in one week, includes a video of Ocasio-Cortez with her hands behind her back without handcuffs.
The caption of the post reads, "Rough day? Have a laugh. Here's AOC faking being arrested."
Despite not being handcuffed, Ocasio-Cortez was arrested on July 19, as multiple social media posts show.
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The Facebook user directed USA TODAY to an article linked in the Facebook post entitled, "BREAKING: AOC fakes being handcuffed outside Supreme Court," by The Post Millennial, a Canadian conservative news outlet.
Ocasio-Cortez was arrested
Capitol Police said in a Twitter thread that they arrested 17 members of Congress outside the Supreme Court.
But since photographs show that Ocasio-Cortez was not handcuffed, some social media users are claiming that means she was not arrested.
Social media users, including Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., questioned why she put her hands behind her back if officers were not handcuffing her. Ocasio-Cortez replied on Twitter, “Putting your hands behind your back is a best practice while detained, handcuffed or not, to avoid escalating charges like resisting arrest.”
Ocasio-Cortez shared the details of her arrest in an Instagram story, a feature where images or videos appear for 24 hours and then disappear. She posted an image of the ticket she received for, crowding, obstructing or incommoding, DC Code § 22-1307. The form showed a $50 fine, PolitiFact reported.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Ocasio-Cortez did not get arrested while protesting at the Supreme Court. The Democratic lawmaker was arrested and fined, according to images she shared on her social media. The Capitol Police also confirmed they arrested 17 members of Congress.
Our fact-check sources:
USA TODAY, July 19, Capitol Police arrest 17 members of Congress at abortion rights protest near Supreme Court
U.S. Capitol Police, July 19, Twitter thread
USA TODAY, June 24, Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, eliminating constitutional right to abortion
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, accessed July 21, Instagram profile
NBC News, July 19, Reps. Ocasio-Cortez and Omar among Democrats arrested at abortion rights protest
PolitiFact, July 20, No, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not ‘fake’ her arrest outside the Supreme Court
The Post Millenial, July 19, BREAKING: AOC fakes being handcuffed outside Supreme Court
The Post Millenial, accessed July 27, About
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: AOC was arrested during protest at the Supreme Court