Ocasio-Cortez calls focus on Hasan Piker 'absolutely ludicrous' as Democrats split over streamer
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dismissed the attention on streamer Hasan Piker as 'absolutely ludicrous,' while some Democrats demand distance and others argue the party must reach his millions of listeners.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., pushed back Thursday against the political focus on far-left streamer Hasan Piker, calling the attention from sitting lawmakers a distraction. The progressive congresswoman questioned why elected officials in Washington are dedicating so much time to discourse about a Twitch streamer who primarily reaches young audiences.
«It is absolutely ludicrous that so much oxygen from sitting elected officials in the United States Congress is being dedicated to discourse around a Twitch streamer for young people,» Ocasio-Cortez said, according to The Hill. Her comments come as some Democrats have demanded the party distance itself from Piker following a series of controversial statements, including remarks about American Jews and Israel that sparked backlash earlier this month.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., also declined to dismiss Piker outright, telling the outlet she would not defend all his views. «That's for him to do,» Jayapal said. «I don't know why, all of a sudden, the standard is you have to agree with everything he said.» The Washington Democrat argued that party leaders need to reach the voters who follow Piker, noting that streamers play a role in getting people interested in politics.
«I think that we have been talking about how we need to reach out to all parts of our party and also how difficult it is sometimes to get people to pay attention to politics, and, so, streamers are important in that,» Jayapal said.
The remarks highlight a growing divide within the Democratic Party over how to handle Piker, who has campaigned with several candidates this midterm cycle. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., took a harder line, telling The Hill that Democrats should not appear with Piker or accept his support. «Not only should people not be on stage with him or take his support, they should condemn his views and what he has said,» Gottheimer said. «And I think anything short of that is unacceptable.»
Piker has endorsed and appeared alongside Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for Senate in Michigan. El-Sayed has attempted to balance the association, playing down his ties to the streamer while arguing that Piker's audience represents millions of potential voters. Speaking to Stephen A. Smith on his show «Straight Shooter» this week, El-Sayed said he wants to offer Piker's listeners a pathway into electoral politics.
«What I'm saying is there are 3 million people who listen to Hasan,» El-Sayed said. «I want to offer them a pathway into an electoral movement where, rather than sit outside of the electoral system, they see a pathway around the things that they agree with that he says that I agree with and a pathway that disavows the things that I disagree with.»
Smith summarized El-Sayed's approach as an effort to win over the audience rather than an endorsement of the streamer personally. «So, you're not thinking about him. You're thinking about the 3 million people that support him, and you're trying to get those votes. That's what you're saying?» Smith asked. «Exactly,» El-Sayed replied.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has also weighed in on the controversy. Asked about Piker's past statements on 9/11, which the streamer has since walked back, Sanders condemned the comments but defended engaging with his audience. «He has a whole lot of followers and a lot of things that he's saying that are making sense to a lot of people,» Sanders told CNN in August. «I think, you know, we have to get above cancel culture. You know, when you're doing radio, whatever they do, podcasts three hours a day, you say dumb things.»
Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff criticized the handling of the situation, arguing that candidates who actively sought out Piker now face a credibility problem. «A lot of these folks are being rather disingenuous. Yes, media is running wild, arguably disproportionately so, with this Piker story, but a big reason for that is El-Sayed's hard to understand refusal to create more distance between himself and the streamer or just flat disavow him,» Shroff told Fox News Digital.
Shroff noted that Democrats have been consistent in calling out President Donald Trump for «dining with Nick Fuentes and bringing Laura Loomer into his inner circle,» arguing the same standard should apply to Piker. «Normal Democrats do not want to be associated with the insane things Piker has said,» he added.
Republican National Committee spokesman Max Lippel seized on the controversy, accusing Democratic leaders of hypocrisy. «AOC, Bernie Sanders and Abdul El-Sayed rolled out the red carpet for Hasan Piker, but now that voters are catching on to how insane his views are, they've developed a sudden case of amnesia,» Lippel said. «Piker has always been an America-hating extremist, and if they didn't want to answer for his disgusting views, they should have never requested he campaign with them to begin with.»
