Daily US Times: US Democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said she survived sexual assault.

The Congresswoman revealed her trauma as she accused Republicans who deflect blame for January 6 Capitol riot of using “the tactics of abusers”.

She said: “I’m a survivor of sexual assault. And I haven’t told many people that in my life.”

The Congresswoman has been one of the Democrats’ biggest stars since her 2018 election.

In an Instagram Live on Monday night, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez disclosed little about her sexual assault ordeal, but said: “When we go through trauma, trauma compounds on each other.”

She blasted Republicans Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a conservative Republican senator from Texas, for denying what she described as their responsibility for the storming of the Capitol complex, which left five people dead.

After Mr Cruz last week agreed with Ms Ocasio-Cortez on a policy matter, she lashed out: “You almost had me murdered three weeks ago so you can sit this one out.”

Ocasio-Cortez said the Instagram Live, she assailed Chip Roy, a Texas congressman, for demanding she apologise to Mr Cruz.

“These are the tactics of abusers,” the Congresswoman said during the broadcast to 150,000 or so viewers. “Or rather, these are the tactics that abusers use.

“And so when I see this happen, how I feel, how I felt was: ‘Not again.’ I’m not going to let this happen again. I’m not going to let it happen to me again. I’m not going to let it happen to the other people who’ve been victimised by this situation again. And I’m not going to let this happen to our country. We’re not going to let it happen.”

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