Recently, I sat down with outgoing GOP Rep. Ted Yoho (Fla.) – among the matters we discussed, I asked him about the aftermath of his encounter with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) that took place over the summer.
What was reported: Yoho challenged AOC’s position on crime and poverty … then a reporter overheard Yoho calling the progressive freshman lawmaker a derogatory term (which Yoho denies saying).
Vanity Fair featured AOC in their December 2020 edition – and the encounter, the apology and the privileged resolution – came up again.
In the immediate aftermath of that political imbroglio, Yoho describes the influx of hate mail to his congressional offices and possibly criminal behavior that was aimed at him and his family.
“There was close to 20,000 hate emails, phone calls to all my offices … we’ve had death threats, we had fecal matter sent to my wife and to my kids, my kids were going to be raped they were going to get killed,” Yoho said adding that an individual who threatened his life may be headed to prison after an investigation by the Capitol Hill police.
While Yoho took a lot of heat for challenging a smaller, younger, female lawmaker, the congressman points out that he has challenged GOP leaders including President Trump.
When Yoho is passionate about a particular matter be it poverty and crime or healthcare, the former veterinarian stands up for his beliefs.
He describes one particular encounter with President Trump over the GOP’s failed healthcare plan. (Link to the interview below.)
But the conversation about AOC was a small portion of our wide-ranging discussion.
Yoho came to Congress eight years ago, as an outsider who defeated a longtime Florida Republican incumbent. Since that time, the congressman has dealt with controversies and intra-party ire but he has also worked across the aisle on a number of issues including foreign affairs and agriculture.
ARTICLE ONE with Molly Hooper 