Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) ripped a media report Thursday on the past lucrative legal career of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and mocked a reporter's salary in the process.
Ocasio-Cortez went to bat for Warren after the 2020 presidential candidate posted a list of 56 cases on her campaign website that she worked on during her career as a law professor. The Washington Post reported Warren made up to $675 an hour while consulting for committees representing both claimants and creditors in asbestos-related bankruptcy cases. She also worked for several corporate clients.
CNN's Andrew Kaczynski linked to the Post report, to which Ocasio-Cortez sarcastically responded, "BREAKING NEWS: Lady Had A Job, Got Paid More Than Me. Nice work. Now do the amount of Wall Street, Big Pharma, & Fossil Fuel [money] presidential candidates accepted over their careers & how much they're taking now."
Ocasio-Cortez's aggressive tone was noteworthy, given she's a democratic socialist who frequently speaks out against income inequality and calls for high marginal tax rates on the nation's wealthiest.
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1131541024269062144
It's the latest example of Ocasio-Cortez dinging the press over a story she didn't like or thought distracted from important issues. In addition to attacks on conservative outlets, Ocasio-Cortez has also launched broadsides at the Washington Post Fact-Checker, The Hill, Politico, and CBS News.
Ocasio-Cortez's defense of Warren was also notable, given her 2020 presidential candidacy in a crowded field. She has said she is not close to making any presidential endorsement, but the far-left congresswoman has a clear affinity for Warren. The two appeared together in a cheeky video this week about their collective disappointment over the conclusion of Game of Thrones, as well as a more serious one about their collective questions for Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Ocasio-Cortez also has strong ideological agreement with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), another leading contender for the 2020 nomination.
One candidate whom Ocasio-Cortez doesn't appear ready to support: Former vice president and current frontrunner Joe Biden. She said she would be "hard-pressed" to support his bid for the nomination.