Dem rival slaps AOC

Bitter online primary debate

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s video debate with her chief Democratic-primary opponent, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, got downright nasty this week, with some of the barbs stunningly personal.

Caruso-Cabrera accused AOC of staying in her “luxury” DC apartment complex with a “Whole Foods in the lobby” during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged constituents in AOC’s BronxQueens district while Congress was out of session.

The congresswoman hit back that Caruso-Cabrera, a former CNBC anchor, previously resided in a pricey apartment in a Manhattan Trump building.

AOC said she is still active in her congressional district and her family has roots there.

“This is where my uncle is. There is where my brother is. This is where my family is,” AOC said after mentioning

AOC says her family lives [in NYC]. Her mother moved to Florida because the taxes are too high.

— Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (left)

You can come after me all you want. Leave my mom out of it. My mom is a widow.

— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (right)

that she intervened in a dispute with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on behalf of immigrant kids at La Guardia Airport.

But Caruso-Cabrera responded, “AOC says her family lives here. Her mother moved to Florida because the taxes are too high.”

That set off Ocasio-Cortez, who told Caruso-Cabrera it was a cheap shot to bring up her mother.

“You can come after me all you want. Leave my mom out of it. My mom is a widow,” AOC said.

The online 14th Congressional District debate Monday night was sponsored by BronxNet and can be replayed on its YouTube channel.

Caruso-Cabrera went on to blast the first-term Democratic socialist for voting against a House bill last year to repeal a portion of President Trump’s tax reform that limited state and local tax deductions that largely benefit higher-income New Yorkers. The bill was not taken up in the GOP-run Senate.

“AOC voted to raise taxes on New Yorkers,” Caruso-Cabrera charged.

During much of the debate, Caruso-Cabrera was on the attack — repeatedly charging that “AOC is MIA” while criticizing Ocasio-Cortez’s opposition to Amazon locating a headquarters in Queens. She also called the far-left incumbent a divisive figure in the Democratic Party.

“We have to have an attitudinal shift toward jobs. We can’t tell job creators, ‘Go away, we don’t want your 25,000 jobs [referring to the aborted Amazon project].’ I’m never going to do that,” Caruso-Cabrera said.

She pointed out that AOC was the only Democrat in the House last month to vote against COVIDrecovery legislation — the Payroll Protection Plan — that included money for small businesses, health care and testing.

AOC defended her vote, saying the bill was skewed toward Wall Street and the rich and “not structured in a way” to help small businesses and excluded immigrants.

She said constituents who called her office were overwhelmingly opposed to it.

She also said she was willing to stand alone when necessary.