Ocasio-Cortez Insists Bernie Sanders ‘Works Very Hard’ to Tamp Down Bernie Bros’ ‘Toxic’ Messaging

Ocasio-Cortez Insists Bernie Sanders ‘Works Very Hard’ to Tamp Down Bernie Bros’ ‘Toxic’ Messaging

The Wrap

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday defended Sen. Bernie Sanders and the presidential candidate’s handling of the aggressive online behavior of “toxic” Bernie Bros.

Speaking to Meghan McCain on “The View,” Ocasio-Cortez said Sanders’ campaign “works very hard” to send out messaging suggestions for supporters that don’t align with any cruel Twitter comments.

“I want to talk about the Bernie Bros,” co-host Meghan McCain said after Ocasio-Cortez spent a few minutes reviewing policy and funding proposals from Sanders, the candidate she has endorsed. McCain said the one thing that many of the guests and hosts on the show regardless of their politics was the abuse they’ve been subjected to by this threatening faction of Sanders’ fanbase. “It is by far, of anything I have ever done in my entire life, the most violent, the most misogynistic, the most sexist, the most harmful,” McCain said.

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“The View” co-host concluded Sanders “has a real problem” and isn’t “doing enough to tamper it down,” then asked how Ocasio-Cortez feels about the issue as “an extremely powerful woman.”

“I think internet culture can often be very toxic and whether we are cognizant of it or not, it nearly always concentrates on women, people of color, queer people…” she said.

“Definitely,” agreed McCain.

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“We also know the amount of anonymous activity that happens on the internet and that simply is difficult. It is difficult to control,” she admitted.

Asked if the candidate himself does enough to stop online abuse in his name, Ocasio-Cortez said, “He works very hard.”

“We send out messaging emails,” she added. “You know what? I’ve been subject to a lot of this stuff from all sorts of pockets of the internet. ICE and CBP officers targeted me on Facebook for attacks when I went to visit the border.”

“He’s got to do more,” said co-host Whoopi Goldberg.

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