Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Accuses Elise Stefanik of 'Embracing Neo-Nazism'

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took aim at Elise Stefanik on Saturday, accusing the New York Republican congresswoman of "embracing neo-Nazism."

Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, railed against her conservative colleague on Twitter. Her post included a screenshot of a New York Times article that said Stefanik had been been uprooted by Ocasio-Cortez as the youngest woman ever to be elected to Congress.

The article also said that Stefanik was "annoyed" that Ocasio-Cortez "had not shown her the respect she felt was her due."

"What is it with people randomly blaming the mere existence of others for their own descent into embracing neo-nazism? Like girl you did that all on your own," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Saturday, referencing Stefanik. "Unless her suggestion here is she started endorsing great replacement theory because she couldn't treat me like the help."

The so-called great replacement theory is pushed by certain white supremacists who say there's a plot to replace white people with immigrants and other minorities. The ultimate aim, they claim, is to upend the country's political power and erode Western culture at large.

Critics have accused Stefanik of echoing some of the theory's tenets, even after the Buffalo, New York, mass shooting in May. The great replacement theory was reportedly cited by the suspect behind the shooting, which claimed the lives of 10 victims, all of whom were Black.

However, such detractors didn't stop Stefanik from getting reelected as chair of the House Republican Conference last month.

A hardline conservative, Stefanik was among those in the GOP who challenged the results of President Joe Biden's Electoral College win. She also questioned the official narrative surrounding the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and is a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump.

Ocasio-Cortez isn't the only Congress member to condemn Stefanik in recent days.

Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, also blasted the GOP lawmaker in a tweet on Friday. He asked whether Stefanik had addressed the controversy surrounding embattled New York Representative-elect George Santos, who is facing pushback for having fabricated numerous details about his professional and personal life.

Santos' Twitter page still displays a banner proclaiming that he received an endorsement from Stefanik.

Ocasio-Cortez has called out neo-Nazism before.

Shortly after the Capitol attack nearly two years ago, she slammed Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz for his "excusal and denial of" the riot's "Neo-Nazi presence." Cruz, who faced backlash for spreading falsehoods surrounding the 2020 presidential election, had criticized Biden for drawing comparisons to the Nazi Party in the wake of the insurrection.

Newsweek reached out to Ocasio-Cortez and Stefanik for comment.