During Wednesday's House Oversight Committee hearing on influence peddling from the Biden family, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) had a rather bizarre exchange with key witness Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter Biden. Not only did the congresswoman keep interrupting Bobulinski when he gave an answer she didn't like about crimes the witness said President Joe Biden had committed, she claimed "RICO is not a crime," which was one of the examples Bobulinski had provided.
AOC's insistences received quite a lot of attention over social media. Other members of Congress were among those chiming in, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who happens to have a rather extensive legal background.
Cruz reposted a clip of AOC claiming "RICO, is not a crime, it is a category," as she gestured wildly while emphasizing her words in a rather dramatic fashion. Not only did the senator call the exchange "bizarre," he listed the statute and mentioned it "is most assuredly a crime."
This is bizarre. RICO—the Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961–1968—is most assuredly a crime.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 21, 2024
It often results in massive felony sentences. And yet @aoc—eager to defend Joe Biden—insists it’s not a crime. https://t.co/5hxw4Jk4lv
As our sister of Twitchy covered, AOC jumped back in with a repost of the senator, claiming he was "Wrong!," as she also touted the narrative from House Democrats as to how House Republicans lack evidence against the Biden crime family.
The congresswoman certainly is playing with words on this one, and in a clear attempt to defend the president and his family. To say that RICO isn't a crime is like saying stealing isn't a crime, which also has different classifications, such as burglary, larceny, embezzlement, robbery.
Wrong!
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2024
RICO is a statute under which specific crimes may be considered - kidnapping, robbery, arson, etc.
You need to name the crimes in order to substantiate RICO.
So… since you’re the expert, what RICO crimes and evidence does House GOP have? Since they don’t seem to know. https://t.co/FYVdK6Y2OO
RICO, through 18 USC § 1962, establishes its own list of crimes that can be charged. You can call these racketeering (the R in RICO), but they are still criminal RICO charges. Yes, there are predicate offenses - other crimes - that must have also been committed, but what AOC is… https://t.co/2X1hhxBmq4
— Damin Toell (@damintoell) March 21, 2024
In the few hours that it's been up, AOC's post has been met with over 4,000 replies and quoted reposts, including those sharing more information about the statute and pointing to Cruz's legal credentials.
Wrong!
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) March 21, 2024
“kidnapping, robbery, arson, etc” are certain acts enumerated under “racketeering activity” which is itself a crime under the “racketeering” statute (hence the R in RICO).
Nice try. But you still get an F. pic.twitter.com/xgTO79Jt1P
A bartender is trying to argue the law with a Harvard law graduate and a former Supreme Court clerk
— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) March 21, 2024
X is hilarious 😂
Yeah I think I'm gonna go with the former solicitor general and Princeton and Harvard law degree guy on this one. https://t.co/SyCdng8dd5
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) March 21, 2024
When it comes to the crimes that Bobulinski says Biden has committed, Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, another witness at the hearing on Wednesday, spoke at length about evidence of corruption. Bobulinski, Galanis, and another former business partner of Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, have spoken at length to how then Vice President Biden was "the brand" and also provided access as "the Biden lift."
Cruz has also devoted episodes of his podcast, "The Verdict" to discussing the Biden family corruption, especially when it comes to the evidence how now President Biden had key involvement, and is the one to focus on.