Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has apologised for changing her "no" vote on funding Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system to "present" in a last-minute move, also explaining why she cried on the House floor shortly after.
In a three-page letter to constituents posted on her Twitter account on Friday, AOC appeared to bemoan the House leadership's "reckless decision to rush this controversial vote within a matter of hours and without true consideration".
Ocasio-Cortez admitted that she "wept at the complete lack of care for the human beings that are impacted by these decisions" and that she cried over "an institution choosing a path of maximum volatility and minimum consideration for its own political convenience".
"To those I have disappointed - I am deeply sorry. To those who believe this reasoning is insufficient or cowardice – I understand. To those who asked me to quell the volatility of this moment in our community […] - I hope we can take this moment and opportunity to more deeply engage in and grow a true, substantive movement of community support for human rights around the world […]", the Democratic congresswoman concluded.
Most netizens, however, were quick to make fun of AOC's apologies, mincing no words when describing her as "a fake", "an idiot", "a real shame", and “Occasional-Cortex".
"AOC […] realises she made a mistake and doesn't want voters to hate her", one user tweeted, while another netizen asserted that the congresswoman "seems to be a disaster for her constituents in Queens, NY".
Earlier this week, funding for the Iron Dome was cut out of the short-term government bill after the move was reportedly initiated by a group of left-wing lawmakers, including AOC, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, who are members of the so-called Squad. They reportedly warned the House that they would not support the bill if it included the additional $1 billion to fund the Iron Dome.