Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) may be facing legal consequences following a controversial social media post directed at President Donald Trump.
The New York congresswoman referred to Trump as a “rapist” in a comment about the ongoing delay in releasing documents tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
In a post shared Friday on X, formerly Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez wrote: “Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files.”
The statement quickly sparked backlash and prompted discussion over its legal implications.
Numerous users on X responded by questioning the legality of the claim, as Trending Politics reported.
One user wrote, “Very weird that none of those allegations came out until he was running for president. Also, I’m pretty sure this is libel and an easily winnable case at that.”
Another user commented, “Given that other more high-profile commentators than you have called him that, and then been successfully sued, I think you’re in some difficulty here.”
A third user emphasized, “Donald Trump has not been criminally convicted of rape. As a congress woman, with such broad reach, you should be aware of this and act and speak appropriately. This is defamation.”
The backlash centers on the fact that Trump has not been convicted of any crime related to sexual assault. Despite numerous accusations, none have resulted in criminal convictions. Critics argue that Ocasio-Cortez’s statement could meet the threshold for defamation.
This is not the first time Ocasio-Cortez has publicly labeled Trump as a rapist. In a video posted to TikTok earlier this year, she expressed her refusal to attend President Trump’s inauguration, again citing allegations of sexual misconduct.
In the video, the congresswoman said, “All these journalists are like, ‘Congresswoman, are you going to the inauguration? Congresswoman, are you going to the inauguration? Are you going to the inauguration?’”
She continued, “Let me make myself clear. I don’t celebrate rapists. So no, I’m not going to the inauguration tomorrow.”
A report from The Hill confirmed that her “rapists” comment in that video referred to President Trump. The article also emphasized that Trump has not been found criminally guilty of any such crime.
The outlet suggested that Ocasio-Cortez may have been alluding to a civil court ruling from May 2023 involving writer E. Jean Carroll. In that case, a jury found that Trump was not liable for rape under New York law.
The alleged incident in question took place in the 1990s, but Carroll’s claims did not result in a criminal prosecution. Instead, the matter was pursued in civil court, where different standards of proof apply.
As The Hill pointed out, civil cases do not carry the same legal weight as criminal convictions, and therefore do not support definitive statements of criminal guilt.
Legal analysts now speculate that Ocasio-Cortez’s language could expose her to a defamation lawsuit, particularly because of her high public profile and platform.
There has been no public response yet from the Trump legal team regarding whether they intend to pursue action over the statement.
Ocasio-Cortez has also not issued a clarification or retraction of the statement on X.
The situation continues to draw scrutiny as the political and legal implications unfold.
