Rep. James Comer (R-KY), House Oversight chairman, is backing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in her bid to become ranking member of the committee.
During an interview on “Fox News Live,” the Republican lawmaker explained why he's in favor of his progressive colleague for the position.
“I think that if you look at the current leadership with the Oversight Committee on the Democrat side, they've had Jamie Raskin leading them. So the Democrats have nowhere to go but up,” he told host Arthel Neville. “Jamie Raskin has been wrong.”
When pressed on how AOC would make the Democrats “go up,” Comer said she’s “better spoken.”
“Look, I think that, you know, the Democrats are turning on AOC. My endorsement of AOC is probably hurting her, which… I think is amusing,” he noted. “They're wanting to go back to another boring old guy like Gerry Connolly. But look, AOC is, you know, I think she represents a big segment of the Democratic Party that believes in socialism, that believes in the Green New Deal, that believes in Wokeism. So, if the Democrats want a real Democrat to lead the Oversight Committee on their side, I think AOC is perfect for them.”
Given that she would be ranking member, Comer said it’s not necessary that she display leadership qualities. But overall, Comer praised her as being more “pleasant” to work alongside than Raskin.
“She's a lot nicer than Jamie Raskin, and she's pleasant to be around," he said. "So, yeah, again, they have nowhere to go but up after Jamie Raskin."
Comer's support comes as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is reportedly attempting to block AOC from leading Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, urging colleagues to instead back Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia.