AOC, Congress Members Arrested at Supreme Court Protest

At least 16 Democratic Party members of Congress were arrested Tuesday for protesting outside of the United States Supreme Court Building, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., according to U.S. Capitol Police.

Thirty-four arrests were made at the steps of the Supreme Court entrance, according to police, with the charges being characterized as "crowding, obstructing or incommoding."

Details are scarce, apart from a Twitter video from reporter @DouglasKBlair, airing what appeared to be Ocasio-Cortez — perhaps the most famous member of the Democrats' House Progressives Caucus — being handcuffed and escorted by Capitol Police officials in Washington, D.C.

Blair offered a one-line description in the tweet: "@AOC has just been escorted by police away from the Supreme Court."

But shortly after news broke of the incident on Twitter, Newsmax host Benny Johnson tweeted out a pair of AOC still photos, side-by-side, along with the following text: "AOC pretends to be *handcuffed* in fake arrest protesting Supreme Court — then raises her fist, breaking her fake handcuffs Clown world LOL"

A Twitter video shot by Axios' Congress reporter, Andrew Solender, seemed to confirm the arrest.

In the context of his tweet, Solender wrote: "Multiple members of Congress, including @AOC, being arrested by Capitol Police for blocking traffic outside the Supreme Court in abortion rights demonstration"

Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., told a Raleigh, North Carolina, TV station that she had been arrested just outside the Supreme Court building.

A Tuesday tweet from Bryan Anderson, a government affairs reporter for WRAL-TV in Raleigh: "JUST IN: U.S. Rep. Alma Adams of North Carolina says she has been arrested during an abortion rights protest at the U.S. Supreme Court Building. She tells me she is among at least 50 people currently detained and being processed. More to come. @WRAL."

And here's a different Tweet depicting Congresswoman Adams' arrest.

Later on Twitter, it was reported that Rep. Ayanna Presley, D-Mass., had also been arrested near the steps of the Supreme Court.

Ocasio-Cortez has been an outspoken opponent of the Supreme Court, since it overturned Roe v. Wade (by a 5-4 decision) and ruled on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (6-3 decision) on June 24, determining that the U.S. "Constitution does not confer a right to abortion."

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