Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Wednesday that Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) is “not a crime,” sparking questions online over former President Donald Trump’s RICO charges in Georgia.
In December, the House of Representatives voted to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden in a 221-212 vote, with members voting along party lines. Republicans allege that while serving as vice president between 2009 and 2017 under President Barack Obama, Biden used his influence to improperly support the business activities of his son, from which they suggest he gained financially. The president has said he had no involvement with Hunter’s business dealings and the White House has described the GOP’s impeachment effort as “sad, pathetic and a waste of everyone’s time.”
On Wednesday during a hearing in Biden’s impeachment inquiry, Ocasio-Cortez engaged in a tense exchange with Tony Bobulinski, a former associate of the president’s son Hunter and a witness whose testimony she said did not satisfy Republicans’ accusations of high crimes by the president.
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During the exchange, Ocasio-Cortez asked Bobulinski to specifically name crimes he witnessed Biden commit, “Is it your testimony today that you personally witnessed President Joe Biden commit a crime?”
In response, Bobulinksi said, “Yes…You asked me to answer the question, I answered the question, RICO, you’re obviously not familiar with, corruption.”
However, before Bobulinksi could continue, Ocasio-Cortez interjected by stating, “Excuse me, sir, RICO is not a crime, it is a category. What is the crime?”
Newsweek has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office via email for comment.
Since Ocasio-Cortez’s comments, some have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to point out Trump’s RICO charges in Georgia.
Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted by a Georgia grand jury in August and face criminal racketeering charges for allegedly attempting to overturn the state’s electoral results in the 2020 election won by Biden. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has pleaded not guilty to all 13 charges against him and has repeatedly said the case is part of a political witch hunt.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s spokesperson via email for comment.
Political commentator Sara Gonzales wrote on X, “Well damn. Hope @AOC can tell Fani Willis to drop those RICO charges against Trump.”
Podcast host Matt Locke said on X, “What an imbecile @AOC is. Corruption is a crime. They are charging Donald Trump with RICO or racketeering. That is a crime.”
While X user Travis wrote on X, “Someone tell Fani Willis to drop all charges because AOC says RICO is not a crime.”
However, during the hearing, Ocasio-Cortez continued to explain that House Republicans have failed to accuse Biden of a “high crime,” which is a requirement for impeachment.
“At this point, the story is not the fact that the basis of this impeachment inquiry is wrong. The story is why it’s proceeding anyway. Why is this committee proceeding based on false charges?” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has led the investigation, however, the case remains at a standstill as an appeal into disqualifying Willis in the case will make it its way to the the Georgia Court of Appeals to determine if they will take it up. This follows accusations by former Trump staffer and co-defendant Michael Roman that she was in a relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she hired in the high-profile case, and that the pair benefited from taxpayer money.
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