Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) said in a July 5 interview with the New Yorker her relationship with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) is not "distinguished" from any other representative's.
Ocasio-Cortez's comment came after the New Yorker's editor in chief David Remnick asked her about her relationship with Pelosi.
"Tell me how that works, what are the dynamics of it," Remnick said.
"I think sometimes people think that we have this, like, we have a relationship," Ocasio-Cortez replied.
"Are you saying you don't?" Remnick asked.
"Not particularly, not one that’s, I think, distinguished from anyone else," Ocasio-Cortez said. "Like, if there is a legislative need—you know, the last time I spoke to her one-on-one was when she asked me to join the select committee on climate change."
Ocasio-Cortez continued that she had declined the request because she had wanted to be more aggressive on climate change than Pelosi had been willing to allow. Pelosi announced the members of the select committee on climate change in February.
Pelosi and Ocasio-Cortez have clashed since the freshman took office in January, most recently with the speaker dismissing the freshman in a New York Times interview.
"All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world," Pelosi said in reference to Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Reps. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), and Ayanna Pressley (D., Mass.). "But they didn't have any following. They're four people and that's how many votes they got."
Ocasio-Cortez shot back with a tweet criticizing Pelosi.
That public 'whatever" is called public sentiment.
And wielding the power to shift it is how we actually achieve meaningful change in this country. https://t.co/u6JtgwwRsk
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 7, 2019
During a private meeting with House Democrats on Wednesday, Pelosi chided Ocasio-Cortez's conduct.
"You got a complaint? You come and talk to me about it. But do not tweet about our members and expect us to think that that is just OK," Pelosi said, according to the Hill.