Adam Kinzinger Scolds AOC For Saying Republicans ‘Defend The Killing of the Mentally Ill’
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) received a scolding from former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) Sunday after she ripped into Republicans on the issue of mass shootings and mental health.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted after Saturday’s mass shooting at a mall in Allen, Texas, that left nine people dead, including the gunman.
“Republicans keep blaming mass shootings on mental health, but then defend the killing of the mentally ill too,” she wrote.
Kinzinger, known as a moderate Republican while serving in Congress from 2011-2023, responded, “Statements like this whether from the left or the right is what is wrong with American politics at the moment. We need to do better.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet referenced two recent tragedies involving the divisive topics of guns and mental illness.
The first happened Friday, when a former Marine killed Jordan Neely by putting him in a chokehold on a New York subway after passengers felt “threatened” by Neely’s behavior. Neely’s family said that the 30-year-old was mentally ill and had a history of behaving erratically. Some conservatives claimed the killing was justified and reminiscent of “subway vigilante” Bernie Goetz, who shot and seriously injured four Black men on a subway train in 1984.
The second tragedy happened in Texas on Saturday when a gunman opened fire at a crowded outdoor mall using an assault-style rifle. At least eight people were killed before police shot and killed the gunman, who was kitted out in tactical gear. Police said the suspect may have been motivated by far-right extremism. This latest mass shooting stoked the flames of the ongoing gun rights vs. common sense gun reform debate in America.
Many conservatives argue that mental illness, not guns, is responsible for mass shootings.
Kinzinger broke with many Republicans to disavow Donald Trump‘s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. He served on the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack and announced late in 2021 that he would not seek another term.
