FACT CHECK: Did Ocasio-Cortez Really Say This About Ben Shapiro?

Aryssa Damron | Fact Check Reporter

The right-leaning Facebook page Liberal Logic 101 claimed April 2 that Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “Attorneys don’t know much about the law as lawyers do and Ben Shapiro is just an attorney. So, yeah.”

The page then reiterated, “Yes, she really said this.”

Verdict: False

There is no evidence that Ocasio-Cortez ever made the statement attributed to her in the post, though she has been critical of the conservative commentator in the past.

Fact Check:

Ocasio-Cortez often draws the ire of conservatives. In this case, the meme questions her intelligence, suggesting that Ocasio-Cortez thinks there’s a substantive difference between an attorney and a lawyer.

There is no evidence of Ocasio-Cortez ever saying the quote, however. The Daily Caller searched the web, social media and news coverage and could not find any proof that Ocasio-Cortez ever made the statement.

The quote can be found on meme websites and forums like Reddit. One such website categorizes the meme under “made up quotes.”

While there is no proof that the New York congresswoman ever made this statement, she has been critical of Shapiro, a graduate of Harvard Law School, in the past.

In August 2018, Shapiro offered Ocasio-Cortez $10,000 to debate him.

“I would love to have a real conversation with you about the issues. You’ve noted that you think Republicans are afraid to debate you or talk to you or discuss the issues with you,” Shapiro said in a video. “Not only am I eager to discuss the issues with you, I’m willing to offer $10,000 to your campaign, today, for you to come on our Sunday special.”

Ocasio-Cortez responded with a tweet comparing the offer to catcalling, saying that she did not owe Shapiro a response.

“Just like catcalling, I don’t owe a response to unsolicited requests from men with bad intentions,” she said.

Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

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Aryssa Damron

Fact Check Reporter

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