Conservative critics are calling for lawsuits after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez referred to President Donald Trump as a “rapist” in a social media post tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Despite a prior civil jury explicitly rejecting that charge, liberals have become completely obsessed with defaming Trump on the issue, with ABC News being forced to pay millions after its top anchor, George Stephanopoulos, made the same claims in 2024.
“Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?” Ocasio-Cortez wrote Friday on Twitter.
Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 11, 2025
The remark triggered an immediate backlash, as critics pointed to a 2023 civil trial in which Trump was found liable for sexual assault—not rape—in a case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. The jury’s specific ruling has become a flashpoint in public discourse, particularly as prominent media figures and political opponents blur or disregard the legal distinction, wrote Fox News.
Attorney and legal commentator Phil Holloway was blunt in his response: “The President should sue AOC into bankruptcy. I realize she’s trying to raise her profile but this is way way too far.” U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah invoked the Supreme Court’s landmark New York Times v. Sullivan case, adding, “Even under the ridiculously lenient standards… you’ve managed to incur defamation liability. Wow.”
Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma joined the fray, pivoting from Ocasio-Cortez’s comment to the broader political implications: “Why didn’t you guys release the Epstein files over the last 4 years? Maybe you were too busy covering for Joe Biden… or, could it have something to do with another former Democrat President?”
Much of the uproar references a March 2024 settlement in which ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos paid $15 million to Trump after falsely stating that he had been found “liable for rape.” The network issued a formal correction, noting: “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview… on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.”
Some social media users pushed back against the criticism, noting that Ocasio-Cortez did not mention Trump by name in her post, raising questions about the viability of a defamation suit. However, the context and timing of her remark left little ambiguity in the eyes of critics.
She’s also probably hoping to be sued by Trump in an effort to gain sympathy in the upcoming 2028 Democratic primary for president. The New York congresswoman is expected to be a frontrunner.
White House communications director Steven Cheung seized on the moment to deliver a personal rebuke: “AOC likes to play pretend like she’s from the block, but in reality she’s just a sad, miserable blockhead who is trying to over-compensate for her lack of self-confidence that has followed her for her entire life.”
