Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is trying to distance herself from her former chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti — but not for the reasons people might expect.

In her first real public comments since Chakrabarti’s resignation, the freshman Democrat socialist took aim at comments he made comparing moderates in the resistance party to “southern Democrats” who opposed desegregation in the early 20th century. She has yet to comment on an ongoing federal investigation into the alleged funneling of money into a pair of private companies.

Close

Instead, it was all about the comments that the divisive congresswoman deemed … well … “divisive.”

“I think it was divisive,” she said in an interview with New York’s Daily News. “I believe in criticizing stances, but I don’t believe in specifically targeting members.”

This is very odd, since Chakrabarti deleted an original tweet but rewrote it with one eliminating the charge — while still targeting the blue dog members. And AOC retweeted it.

“Can we stop calling the Blue Dog Caucus ‘fiscally conservative but socially liberal?'” he wrote in part.

A Federal Election Commission filing states that the PACs “funneled more than $1 million in political donations into two private companies that Chakrabarti also incorporated and controlled” as a means to skirt reporting requirements.

Also incredibly odd is that this is the same woman who told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that she better think twice before singling out “women of color.”

Suddenly, divisiveness isn’t as cool as it once was.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

Related: Fresh from a Spat with Her Own House Speaker, AOC Goes After Trump

It seems pretty transparent that Ocasio-Cortez is full of it when it comes to claiming disdain for her chief of staff over comments she easily agrees with, in our view. In fact, she pointed out that Chakrabarti’s abrupt resignation last week had nothing to do with the tweets.

“We had been discussing this transition before that whole incident happened,” she claimed.

Did they really? And was this a long-planned move for him considering the resignation came out of the blue?

Not likely, since news surfaced around the same time that Chakrabarti is being investigated for a pair of political action committees (PACs) that he personally oversaw.

A Federal Election Commission filing states that the PACs “funneled more than $1 million in political donations into two private companies that Chakrabarti also incorporated and controlled” as a means to skirt reporting requirements.

Hmm, now that seems like a much more realistic reason for his resignation than any tweet or planned “transition.”

Even better, sources indicate that Ocasio-Cortez’s minimum salary policy may have actually been a ploy to help Chakrabarti “dodge public financial-disclosure rules.” Former FEC Commissioner Brad Smith explained that if any of these moves turn out to be intentional, “they could be facing jail time.”

Is it any wonder she’s trying to run away from him now?

This piece originally appeared in The Political Insider and is used by permission.

Read more at ThePoliticalInsider.com:
Obama Criticized the President, Trump Just Took Him Apart
President Fires Back After Shepard Smith Claims El Paso Man Used ‘Language of Trump’
Liberals Harass, Direct Death Threats Toward Mitch McConnell at His Home

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette.