Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) faces backlash after calling for a list of social media posts from "Trump sycophants" so that they will be held accountable in the future.
On Friday afternoon, the far-left Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter: "Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they try to downplay or deny their complicity in the future? I foresee decent probability of many deleted Tweets, writings, photos in the future."
Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they try to downplay or deny their complicity in the future? I… https://t.co/n2Nh6nIWPi
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)1604693762.0
The idea of a list of Trump allies was embraced by former CIA ops officer Evan McMullin, who wrote, "We should keep and publish a list of everyone who assists Trump's frivolous and dangerous attacks on the election. Name and shame forever."
We should keep and publish a list of everyone who assists Trump’s frivolous and dangerous attacks on the election. Name and shame forever.
— Evan McMullin 🇺🇸 (@Evan McMullin 🇺🇸)1604623005.0
Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin also agreed, "Any R now promoting rejection of an election or calling to not to follow the will of voters or making baseless allegations of fraud should never serve in office, join a corporate board, find a faculty position or be accepted into 'polite' society. We have a list."
Michael Simon, an ex-staffer of former President Barack Obama, Michael Simon, was thrilled to share a list of Trump allies.
"Every Administration staffer, campaign staffer, bundler, lawyer who represented them — everyone," he wrote in a since-deleted tweet, and also shared a link to a site called "The Trump Accountability Project."
Who could have seen this coming https://t.co/8cUBQxMHgP
— Gulag Inmate 4859 (@Gulag Inmate 4859)1604696585.0
Hari Sevugan, former national press secretary for the Democratic National Committee and senior spokesman for the Barack Obama presidential campaign, promoted the registry of Trump allies by writing, "We just launched the Trump Accountability Project to make sure anyone who took a paycheck to help Trump undermine America is held responsible for what they did."
You better believe it. We just launched the Trump Accountability Project to make sure anyone who took a paycheck to… https://t.co/TTaobxN0pX
— Hari Sevugan (@Hari Sevugan)1604694204.0
Emily Abrams, the national surrogates director for Pete Buttigieg's failed presidential campaign, also promoted the Trump Accountability Project in a now-deleted tweet.
Held responsible now? https://t.co/Jk2yPjZ5i5
— Dana Loesch (@Dana Loesch)1604712738.0
The Trump Accountability Project website states, "We must never forget those who furthered the Trump agenda."
"We should welcome in our fellow Americans with whom we differ politically. But those who took a paycheck from the Trump Administration should not profit from their efforts to tear our democracy apart," the homepage of the site reads. "The world should never forget those who, when faced with a decision, chose to put their money, their time, and their reputations behind separating children from their families, encouraging racism and anti-Semitism, and negligently causing the unnecessary loss of life and economic devastation from our country's failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic."
The site reportedly had a spreadsheet of donors, staff, and judicial appointees of President Donald Trump on a Google Drive, which has since been made private and deleted off the website, but is still viewable here.
@AOC .... https://t.co/VdC819KWEb
— Catalina Lauf (@Catalina Lauf)1604727161.0
Trump officials have already begun the effort to hide their records. We will not let that happen.Help out here:… https://t.co/rDyTx2dkug
— Trump Accountability Project (@Trump Accountability Project)1604681256.0
And, eventually they made the whole list private, although you can still access it here:https://t.co/jEK1gsdmxX
— Leslie McAdoo Gordon (@Leslie McAdoo Gordon)1604718157.0
There was a wave of pushback against AOC's registry of Trump supporters. Conservatives and liberals responded to AOC's tweet, and explained why making lists of political enemies leads down a dangerous path.
Many online commenters compared the self-described democratic socialist's idea for a list of political adversaries with authoritarian regimes such as China, Joseph Stalin's Russia, and Fidel Castro's Cuba. Others saw a parallel to McCarthyism and blacklisting during the 1950s.
Nothing says “Biden will bring us together” like “now that we Democrats have power, who has the list of our enemies… https://t.co/Am0E3PLHhV
— Drew Holden (@Drew Holden)1604717634.0
If you are creating enemies lists of your political opponents for retribution you are not fit to hold any position… https://t.co/icb5bCJvwU
— Gulag Inmate 4859 (@Gulag Inmate 4859)1604723558.0
AOC, must we then compile a blacklist with the names of the 70 million who voted against your preferences? Must w… https://t.co/06ZAipYDDg
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@Nassim Nicholas Taleb)1604751626.0
If @AOC gets her way, people like you and me wouldn’t get the chance to defend @realDonaldTrump in her socialist st… https://t.co/4ILCr9CTSY
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸)1604698276.0
What AOC said today about logging tweets and names of Trump supporters is equivalent to what they would do in Commu… https://t.co/1vRXw1oSkU
— Ryan Fournier (@Ryan Fournier)1604717714.0
Leading Democrats like @AOC and @JRubinBlogger apparently want to treat Trump supporters like China treats the Uyghurs
— Will Chamberlain (@Will Chamberlain)1604701226.0
Sounds a lot like when Nazi Germany, Stalin Russia, Castro Cuba, Chavez/Maduro Venezuela made lists against politic… https://t.co/wArRdwM9wi
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@Jorge Masvidal UFC)1604758375.0
I'd say rounding up 70 million Americans for political punishment is a bit ambitious, but it is kind of on brand fo… https://t.co/yqtwCKmdb9
— Mollie (@Mollie)1604720705.0
Please stop.Lists are for fascists. https://t.co/RjDpXK8jSS
— Maajid أبو عمّار (@Maajid أبو عمّار)1604744114.0
This is so Communist. God help us.p.s. .@aoc, I won’t be deleting my tweets or writings for you or anyone. I’m an… https://t.co/FgV4fPpC65
— Rachel Campos-Duffy (@Rachel Campos-Duffy)1604720645.0
Nutty AOC wants to bring back McCarthyism and the 1950's blacklist, only this time with the communists doing the bl… https://t.co/3qkFjQeoHr
— MARK SIMONE (@MARK SIMONE)1604719194.0
Some, including Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) volunteered to be placed on the list, while Megyn Kelly advocated using AOC's list as a campaign tool.
Put me down as No. 1. My name is Congressman Paul Gosar. I am a proud American and I love this country more than… https://t.co/D2Qih0fTEp
— Paul Gosar (@Paul Gosar)1604712067.0
Please put my name at the top of that list.There’ll be no texts deleted, no tweets erased or denial. Ur rhetoric re… https://t.co/bjQQgDZjHU
— Kirstie Alley (@Kirstie Alley)1604710397.0
What an awesome tweet for the Georgia GOP to plaster everywhere in their effort to ensure Republicans keep the Sena… https://t.co/BLkjzvrGrr
— Megyn Kelly (@Megyn Kelly)1604754840.0