Black Lawmaker Accuses AOC of 'Using the Race Card'

Clay slams Ocasio-Cortez, 'ignorant' chief of staff
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 12, 2019 4:35 AM CDT
Black Lawmaker Accuses AOC of 'Using the Race Card'
In this Jan. 18, 2015, file photo, US Rep. William Lacy Clay speaks during a church service at Wellspring Church in Ferguson, Mo.   (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Discord in the Democratic caucus: After Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of targeting "newly elected women of color," several black and Latino lawmakers took Pelosi's side Thursday, including Rep. William Lacy Clay. Clay, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, accused Ocasio-Cortez of "using the race card," the Washington Post reports. "What a weak argument, because you can't get your way?" he said. "I could really care less. I agree with the Speaker. Four people, four votes out of 240 people, who cares," Clay said, referring to Ocasio-Cortez and three other freshman female Democrats in "the Squad": Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley.

Clay also slammed Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, and other members of the Justice Democrats group as "ignorant," the Hill reports. The progressive group has endorsed primary challengers against Clay and other moderates. In a now-deleted tweet last week, Chakrabarti said moderate Democrats "certainly seem hell bent to do to black and brown people today what the old Southern Democrats did in the 40s." "I find their ignorance to be beyond belief about American history and about who are really segregationists," Clay said. "And so how dare they try to play the race card at this point, it shows you the weakness of their arguments." (Pelosi has told caucus members to rein in the infighting on Twitter.)

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