A photo shared on Facebook claims New York Democrat Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez stated, “the government must shut down unapproved news agencies to defeat fascism.”

Verdict: False

The claim is baseless and originates as satire.

Fact Check: 

Ocasio-Cortez recently stated that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would be a “weaker” contender in the 2024 presidential bid compared to former President Donald Trump, according to New York Post. She also stated that she doesn’t think there is anyone from the GOP who could successfully beat Trump in the election, Fox News reported.

The Facebook post purports Ocasio-Cortez wants the government to target news outlets to fight fascism. The post shares an image with the definition of the word “fascism” above a picture of Ocasio-Cortez from an article. “AOC: ‘The Government Must Shut Down Unapproved News Agencies To Defeat Fascism,'” the headline reads.

Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to prove Ocasio-Cortez made the statement. (RELATED: Did Elon Musk Permanently Ban AOC From Twitter?)

The claim stems from an article from The Babylon Bee, which identifies itself as a satire website on its “About” page. “The Babylon Bee is the world’s best satire site, totally inerrant in all its truth claims,” the disclaimer reads.

The image used of Ocasio-Cortez was taken from a recent interview she did with MSNBC, which can be viewed on YouTube. She does not make the statement that appears in the Facebook post, however.

Check Your Fact reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received from either source.