Who?

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — Vice-Ranking Member, Oversight Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Ocasio-Cortez

What are your priorities for oversight in the new year?

Key AOC:

“I think we should be going after corporations,” Ocasio-Cortez tells Ask a Pol. “We need to be going after corruption. Also, of course, there’s an incoming Trump administration that’s been bought out the wazoo, so we have to highlight that.”

ICYMI — this interview first appeared in Raw Story

Caught our ear:

“I think a lot of it has to do with using our bully pulpit to ring the alarm and let the American people know what's going on,” Ocasio-Cortez tells us. “I feel like we have so much leverage where we can do that much more thoroughly and much more expansively.”

Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), slightly edited for clarity.

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

SCENE: After voting on the floor of the US House of Representatives, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and two of her aides are walking back to her office via the underground tunnel from the US Capitol to the house Office Buildings across the street.

Matt Laslo: “How are you ma’am?”

Ocasio-Cortez: “How’s it going?”

ML: “Living the dream.”

AOC: “That’s great.”

ML: “What do you think the focus of your party needs to be in the new year when it comes to oversight, etc?”

AOC: “I think we should be going after corporations.”

ML: “Yeah?”

AOC: “We need to be going after corruption. Also, of course, there’s an incoming Trump administration that’s been bought out the wazoo, so we have to highlight that.”

ML: “Yeah? But then as the minority party that’s a little harder.”

AOC: “It is, it is, but I think we've demonstrated this term, even being in the minority, we've been able to thoroughly dismantle a lot of the Republican initiative and really take the wind out of their sails and build new momentum.”

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ML: “It’s interesting though that you did lead with corporations and that stuff — that was kinda missing from a lot of Democrats this campaign cycle.”

AOC: “I think so, and I think that we shouldn't be afraid to lean into the sources of a lot of people's economic pain, and we need to be forthright and we need to be forward and assertive about the fact that inflation doesn't come from anywhere, it's corporations that are trying to squeeze Americans for every dime that they've got in their pockets.”

ML: “And now how worried are you that we’re seeing all, like, the billionaire class become part of [Trump’s] cabinet?”

AOC: “Oh, of course, very, very. And what we’re seeing at the Los Angeles Times and the takeover of media, it's extremely concerning.”

ML: “And how do you combat that, because, like, with Elon Musk is out here promoting DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency], but that’s not a part of the government.”

AOC: “I think that there are areas where they do intersect. And I think a lot of it has to do with using our bully pulpit to ring the alarm and let the American people know what's going on.”

ML: “Yeah?”

AOC: “I feel like we have so much leverage where we can do that much more thoroughly and much more expansively.”

ML: “Yeah. I’ll be watchin.”

AOC: “Thank you.”

ML: “Have a good weekend.”

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