AOC: 'I thought I was going to die' during Capitol riot

NEW YORK - Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, said she had a "close encounter where I thought I was going to die" during the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Ocasio-Cortez spoke for more than an hour during an Instagram Live event just after midnight Wednesday. She said she couldn't go into full detail of what exactly happened to her due to "security reasons."

"I had a pretty traumatizing event happen to me. I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die," Ocasio-Cortez said. "I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive, and not just in a general sense but also in a very, very specific sense," 

In the live event, Ocasio-Cortez also called President Donald Trump a "traitor to the United States." She also slammed GOP Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, who voted to object to the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory even after pro-Trump rioters had pushed past cops, stormed the Capitol, infiltrated chambers, and ransacked congressional offices.

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The second-term congresswoman, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, said she didn't know whom she could trust during the siege and the evacuation of chambers. Ocasio-Cortez said she worried that right-wing members of Congress, such as those who have publicly supported the QAnon conspiracy theory, would give away her location to the rioters.

"This is how democracy can burn. It is fragile. We must cherish it. And they didn’t. And they don’t. So they need to leave," AOC said. "Donald Trump needs to leave. Ted Cruz needs to leave. Josh Hawley needs to get out. They need to get out."

With Storyful

A recording of the congresswoman's IG Live stream is posted on YouTube: