Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Praised for Cohen Questioning, Says Waitressing Honed Her ‘Razor Sharp BS Detector’ – By Shane Croucher (Newsweek) / Feb 28 2019
After receiving praise for her questioning of Michael Cohen during his testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez put her skills down to years spent tending bars and waitressing.
The New York Democrat was one of many congresspeople to question Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former attorney and fixer, about a number of serious allegations he made against his former boss.
Ocasio-Cortez asked Cohen about hush payments made to women alleging extramarital affairs with the president, Trump’s finances, and deflating the value of his assets to reduce tax bills. In response, Cohen suggested Trump committed tax fraud, which could lead the committee using its subpoena powers to demand the president’s tax returns for scrutiny.
The computer scientist Matt Blaze wrote on Twitter: “Are we sure @AOC is a former bartender and not a former prosecutor? That was a pretty amazing line of questions today.”
Replying to Blaze on Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez wrote: “Thanks! Bartending + waitressing (especially in NYC) means you talk to 1000s of people over the years. Forces you to get great at reading people + hones a razor-sharp BS detector.
“Just goes to show that what some consider to be ‘unskilled labor’ can actually be anything but [winking emoji].”
Among the allegations, Cohen accused Trump of lying about his knowledge of the infamous Trump Tower meeting between his campaign and Russians touting dirt on his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
The president denies knowing in advance about the meeting attended by his ex-campaign manager Paul Manafort, eldest son Donald Trump Jr., and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The meeting is under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Moreover, Cohen claimed Trump knew in advance of WikiLeaks publishing emails stolen from Hillary Clinton’s campaign by Russian hackers because his friend Roger Stone, who was in contact with the organization’s chief Julian Assange, told him.
Mueller is investigating Stone and has indicted him for making false statements to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks and Assange.
Cohen also accused Trump of being racist, claiming the president told his former employee that black people were “too stupid” to vote for him.
But some, including the president’s allies, are questioning the credibility of Cohen’s testimony because he will begin a three year jail sentence in May for tax fraud, campaign finance violations, and lying to Congress in previous testimony while still working for Trump.
Mueller indicted Cohen for making false statements to Congress about the extent of Trump’s business dealings in Russia. Cohen, who is co-operating with Mueller, pleaded guilty.
Sarah Sanders, White House press secretary, dismissed Cohen’s appearance on Capitol Hill as irrelevant, calling him in a statement a “disgraced felon” and said he is “given yet another opportunity to spread his lies.”
“I am not a perfect man,” Cohen said in his opening statement. “I have done things I am not proud of, and I will live with the consequences of my actions for the rest of my life.
“But today, I get to decide the example I set for my children and how I attempt to change how history will remember me. I may not be able to change the past, but I can do right by the American people here today.”
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1100924600697929728
https://www.newsweek.com/ocasio-cortez-cohen-testimony-aoc-twitter-waitressing-1346813
