Rod Blagojevich swipes AOC for 'pretending' to be handcuffed: 'When I get arrested, I get arrested for real!'
Ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich had fun at the expense of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and himself
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich took a swipe at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Thursday after she went viral for embellishing the circumstances of her arrest.
Ocasio-Cortez was one of several lawmakers who were placed under arrest this week for blocking the street while protesting the overturning of Roe v. Wade in front of the Supreme Court.
The "Squad" leader was seen being escorted by a police officer with her hands behind her back as if she was placed in handcuffs. Except she wasn't actually restrained.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AOC DENIES ‘FAKING’ HANDCUFFS AFTER BEING DETAINED IN SUPREME COURT PROTEST
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, left, is arrested outside the US Supreme Court during a protest of the court overturning Roe v. Wade in Washington, D.C., US, on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
In video clips shared across Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez kept her hands in what critics swiped were "invisible handcuffs" only to raise her fist in the air to express solidarity with reporters. Her colleague, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., similarly followed suit and kept her hands in a handcuffed-like position as she walked, even without being escorted by law enforcement, also raising her first after.
ABC NEWS HAMMERED FOR MAKING IT LOOK LIKE AOC, OMAR WERE HANDCUFFED AT ABORTION RALLY
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ocasio-Cortez has since denied accusations that she was "faking" being handcuffed, insisting to her critics that "Putting your hands behind your back is a best practice while detained, handcuffed or not, to avoid escalating charges like resisting arrest."
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, left, is arrested outside the US Supreme Court during a protest of the court overturning Roe v. Wade in Washington, D.C., US, on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Blagojevich, who famously had his own run-in with the law, had some fun at the expense of the progressive lawmaker as well as himself.
"AOC pretends to be handcuffed. At least when I get arrested, I get arrested for real!" Blagojevich exclaimed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The former Democratic governor also shared an image of his 2008 mugshot, comparing it to the handcuff-less, mugshot-less Ocasio-Cortez.
Blagojevich faced federal charges and was accused of a pay-to-play scheme involving personal gain in filling the Senate seat left vacant by Barack Obama following the 2008 presidential election. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The governor always maintained his innocence.
In this March 14, 2012, file photo, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich speaks to the media outside his home in Chicago as his wife, Patti, wipes away tears a day before reporting to prison after his conviction on corruption charges. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
In 2020, President Trump commuted Blagojevich's prison sentence after the former governor served eight years behind bars.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Notably, Blagojevich appeared as a contestant on the third season of "Celebrity Apprentice," which aired on NBC in 2010. He was "fired" by Trump in the fourth episode.
Blagojevich now proudly identifies himself as a "Trump-ocrat."