A Bronx office of US House member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was vandalized early Monday, according to New York City police, who say they are investigating.
The vandalism occurred as the progressive Democratic congresswoman grapples with “threats on [her] life”, as her campaign manager put it, after a recent US House vote involving American aid to Israel.
Officers called out to Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign office in Westchester Square at about 12.45am found its front covered in red paint, police said. Images circulating online and on local news media outlets showed someone had left a sign which alleged that Ocasio-Cortez “funds genocide in Gaza”, though she has repeatedly criticized the Israeli military’s strikes there.
The vandalism occurred after Ocasio-Cortez on Friday voted against a defense spending bill amendment authored by Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia that would have eliminated funding for the system protecting Israel from missiles. Ocasio-Cortez voted “no” on the defense spending bill itself, which passed the House and included more than $600m in aid for Israel, as she alluded to on an X post hours after the office’s vandalism.
Her vote on Greene’s amendment prompted the Democratic Socialists of America to issue a statement accusing Ocasio-Cortez of backing Israel’s “eliminationist campaign against the Palestinian people”.
Ocasio-Cortez, who has maintained that Israel’s military actions in Gaza amount to a “genocide” and often draws political criticism from US conservatives, wrote Monday on X: “Google is free. If you’re saying I voted for military funding, you are lying.”
A separate X post from Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign manager, Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, said Monday’s office vandalism coincided with her staff having recently received “multiple threats on the congresswoman’s life”.
“We are treating this seriously with our security partners to make sure she, our staff, and volunteers are safe,” Hidalgo Wohlleben’s post said.
A post Monday on the social media platform Bluesky from Ocasio-Cortez added: “The threat environment this morning is scary.
“Drag me for the position if you disagree but don’t lie. It’s out of control. Saying I voted for this funding is false.”
Hidalgo-Wohlleben’s X post said that the Bronx congresswoman’s staff was in the process of cleaning up the vandalized office. “Our office is a hub in the community, and we want it to be a safe space for all our neighbors,” Hidalgo-Wohlleben also wrote.
Ocasio-Cortez has represented New York’s 14th congressional district since early 2019. Her endorsement of democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race in June captured national headlines.
