AP Photo/Julio Cortez
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An 82 year-old Democratic lawmaker jokingly asked to be part of a group of young progressive lawmakers known as The Squad — and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York welcomed him with open arms.
- The Squad, made up of Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts has been in the spotlight over the past few weeks.
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On Tuesday, the satire website The Onion posted a piece titled "82-Year-Old New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell Quietly Asks Ilhan Omar If He Can Be Part Of The Squad."
- Pascrell re-tweeted the piece wondering, "Well. How bout it?" and tagging the four lawmakers’ Twitter handles, leading Ocasio-Cortez to respond, "you’re in!"
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
An 82 year-old Democratic male congressman jokingly asked to be part of a group of young progressive lawmakers known as The Squad — and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez welcomed him with open arms.
The Squad, made up of Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts has been in the spotlight over the past few weeks as they’ve feuded with Democratic house leadership and President Donald Trump.
On Sunday, Trump poured fuel on the simmering tensions between The Squad and leadership with a series of racist early morning tweets telling "progressive congresswomen" of color to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came," despite three out of the four being born in the United States.
On Tuesday, the satire website The Onion posted a piece titled "82-Year-Old New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell Quietly Asks Ilhan Omar If He Can Be Part Of The Squad."
The humor post read: "Excuse me, Ms. Omar, but I’ve been paying a good deal of attention to this so-called ‘squad’ of yours and can’t help but think that I might make an exciting addition to join in on the fun," said the Paterson-based octogenarian."
It went on: "I can help with any tweeting you ladies might need. Heck, we might even talk to the other gals and make some sort of viral video together. But enough about me: What do you think? Am I squad material?"
Pascrell re-tweeted The Onion’s story wondering, "Well. How bout it?" and tagging the four lawmakers’ Twitter handles.
Pascrell, a soft-spoken congressman who generally stays out of the spotlight, has represented northern New Jersey since 1997 and like the members of the Squad, is in a safe Democratic district. Also like The Squad, he serves on an important committee, being a member of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee and the Subcommittee for Trade.
Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, and Tlaib all serve together on the high-profile House Financial Services Committee, and Omar serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Since Sunday, Trump has doubled down on his attacks on the congresswomen, claiming he doesn’t have a racist bone "in his body," and accusing them of being anti-Semitic and "pro-terrorist." On Tuesday afternoon, the House is set to vote on a resolution condemning Trump’s tweets as "racist."
Read more:
Twitter says Trump’s racist tweets aren’t a violation of its new policies
Meet the ‘squad’ — the Democratic women of color who Trump targeted with racist tweets
See Also:
- Trudeau slams Trump’s racist remarks to progressive congresswomen: ‘That is not how we do things in Canada’
- ‘This country belongs to you’: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and progressive freshman lawmakers give impassioned response to Trump’s attacks
- An increasingly public, racially-charged rift in the Democratic party is widening after attacks are lobbed between Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s camp and the Democratic establishment
Source: Business Insider – gpanetta@businessinsider.com (Grace Panetta)