Conservative Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) summoned folksy shtick to describe his relationship with progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday ― and some viewers weren’t laughing.
“I can respect a liberal,” Burchett said at NewsNation’s town hall at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. “I respect Cortez. She’s my buddy. I mean, she’s a Marxist. She’s a friendly neighborhood Marxist, as I always call her. I say stuff to her. She’ll get on one of my videos while I’m walking off the floor of the House, and I’ll say, ‘Hey, Cortez’ and she’ll go, ‘Hey Burchett.’ And I tell people, ‘Don’t look at her too long. She’ll steal your soul.’ We have that kind of relationship, and we can joke about it.”
While the progressive and Trump sycophant are rarely on the same side of an issue, both have backed legislation to prevent congressional members from trading stocks. And both at one point agreed that the Jeffrey Epstein files should be released. Burchett, however, softened his stance because he said flight logs to the late sex offender’s island would also include the names of innocent people.
Signs of chumminess between the two House members angered some.
Politics: Senator Launches Cynical Attack On ‘Attractive’ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
“Just say no to Marxists, Tim,” one critic wrote. Another slammed him for “normalizing” Marxism.
“It’s so cute to have Marxist ‘buddies’ and pal around with them and go to dinner with them!” a commenter said. “I mean, they want your constituents sh0t in the neck, but, yeah, sure, have drinks!”
Ocasio-Cortez, for the record, has scoffed at the “Marxist” label stuck to her by right-wingers.
Other critics accused Burchett of sexism.
Politics: Nancy Pelosi’s Fiery Response To MAGA Reporter’s Jan. 6 Question Goes Viral
“Burchett’s ’soul-stealing’ crack isn’t folksy charm — it’s the same leering misogyny MAGA peddles to mask their fear of a woman who actually fights for people. Pathetic,” one person remarked.
“Calling a colleague a Marxist and joking about her ‘stealing your soul’ isn’t charm it’s cringe politics masquerading as humor,” another said.
Tim Burchett and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez share a moment after a 2023 House vote. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Related…
Read the original on HuffPost
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://livenewsus7.com/world-news/tim-burchetts-remarks-about-his-relationship-with-aoc-upset-some-people/&media=https://livenewsus7.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Tim-Burchetts-Remarks-About-His-Relationship-With-AOC-Upset-Some.jpeg&description="We have that kind of relationship," the Tennessee Republican said.){kind=link}