Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks out about being sexual assault survivor
Leading liberal US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has revealed she is a survivor of sexual assault during a teary-eyed Instagram live.
During a discussion where she recounted the events of the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, she recalled how it brought up her past traumas.
She said: "I’m a survivor of sexual assault... When we go through trauma, trauma compounds on each other.”
Ms Ocasio-Cortez did not reveal anything more about the event.
Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York's 14th district, is seen as one of the leading voices on the American left and her large and effective social media presence has made her the target of relentless attacks from the far-right.
She said: “These folks who tell us to move on, that it’s not a big deal, that we should forget what’s happened, or even telling us to apologize, these are the same tactics of abusers.”
Ms Ocasio-Cortez said the atmosphere around the Capitol and Washington had started to feel more tense and volatile in the days before the insurrection.
On the day, she was in her office when she heard repeated bangs on the door, like someone was trying to get in, she recalled.
Her legislative director told her to hide, and she went into the bathroom.
While hiding in the bathroom she recalled how she heard a man repeatedly yell "where is she?"She said: "I have never been quieter in my life."She came out shortly after when her legislative director told her to, and saw a Capitol police officer in the office.
She said the officer told them to go to another building, but didn’t say specifically where or escort them, leaving her feeling unsafe.
“You don’t know if that person was actually trying to protect you or not,” she said.
The storming of the US Capitol left five people dead after supporters of President Trump encouraged by right-wing conspiracy theories broke into the heart of the countries democracy.
The scenes at the Capitol shocked the world and led to Mr Trump being impeached a second time.