Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave a terse response when asked about a former staffer’s congressional bid — refusing to engage on the name-dropping former aide, Saikat Chakrabarti, who’s splashed the Dem darling’s face all over his campaign ads.
Ocasio-Cortez was ambushed Monday by a reporter for DropSite who offered her a chance to “clear up” rampant speculation about Chakrabarti, who was her chief of staff for roughly seven months in 2019 and is now running for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat.
“I’m just not commenting on the race,” the Bronx congresswoman said.
Saikrabarti has relentlessly bragged of his ties to Ocasio-Cortez, slapping her photo on campaign fliers and taking credit for penning “The Green New Deal,” a progressive wish-list that was voted down in the House and Senate in 2019.
The 40-year-old tech centimillionaire, a Harvard grad and former Sen. Bernie Sanders organizer, has poured nearly $5 million of his own money into his bid to replace retiring Pelosi in the House of Representatives.
“If there’s anything I’ve learned from working with Bernie and AOC, it’s that you just have to try,” Chakrabarti wrote on X in one of many mentions of Ocasio-Cortez on social media.
“Having worked with AOC, I can safely say she’s one of a kind. But I’d be honored to represent San Francisco in Congress and join AOC to build a society that truly works for all,” Chakrabarti wrote in another fawning X post last year.
Ocasio-Cortez’s apparent snub of her former aide and campaign manager has fueled speculation about whether there was a falling out between the two.
Chakrabarti became a lighting rod during his seven-month tenure in Congress, accusing fellow Democrats of racism in incendiary tweets and slamming Pelosi — the powerful then-House Speaker — for “weak leadership,” according to media reports.
Don Ford, a progressive activist who volunteered on Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 campaign for Congress, highlighted a 2019 Federal Election Commission investigation targeting Chakrabarti, who also founded two progressive fundraising groups called the Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress.
Chakrabarti was probed for funneling around $1 million into private companies he controlled. The feds closed the case without penalties.
“The FEC investigated him, and it became a Republican talking point against AOC,” recalled Ford.
“He’s the last type of person we want in Congress. Dude, just stop!”
Pressed by Drop Site to discuss her relationship with Chakrabarti, Ocasio-Cortez frostily replied: “I’m just not commenting on it at all.”
Chakrabarti didn’t respond to a request for comment about his former boss’ comments.
The race to represent San Francisco congress has rapidly become one of the most expensive on record.
Chakrabarti, whose net worth has been pegged at around $200 million, has taken rivals to task for accepting money from corporations as he pours millions of his personal wealth into the hotly contested seat.
Other candidates are state Sen. Scott Wiener, city Supervisor Connie Chan and attorney Marie Hurabiell.
