Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez refused to allow the media to attend or cover two of her recent campaign town hall events in her congressional district, which spans parts of the Bronx and Queens.
Reporters were banned from a gathering on Sunday in Corona, Queens, and another event in the Bronx last Wednesday, Aug. 8.
Ocasio-Cortez, who beat incumbent Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary this summer, did not want reporters at her community events because they asked too many questions at another gathering, according to her campaign manager, who said she was “mobbed” by the media at an event early last week “even though we said no Q&A and no one-on-one [interviews].”
By Friday afternoon, campaign spokesman Corbin Trent told the Washington Post the campaign will no longer block reporters from attending her events. He also defended the two bans, saying they live-streamed the meetings.
Cortez’s refusal to answer questions came days after former President Barack Obama opted not to endorse her and in the midst of the media’s fact-checking a string of inaccurate claims she has made.
After the Sunday event, the candidate said she spoke with her potential constituents about “race, immigration, healthcare, disability rights, and housing.” However, she did not elaborate on her positions or what she would do if elected to public office Nov. 6.
The no-press events were part of her “listening” tour that allowed her to take part in a “lively, compassionate discourse with a diversity of viewpoints.”
“We wanted to help create a space where community members felt comfortable and open to express themselves without the distraction of cameras and press. These were the first set of events where the press has been excluded,” Trent said in an interview with Queens Chronicle. “This is an outlier and will not be the norm. We’re still adjusting our logistics to fit Alexandria’s national profile.”
