Progressive firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling on the Senate to reject President Biden’s nomination of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve as ambassador to Japan, accusing him of attempting to “cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald” in a statement released Wednesday.
The far-left New York Democratic congresswoman, a socialist better known by her initials, AOC, labeled “deeply shameful” the nomination of Emanuel — who previously served as White House chief of staff under President Barack Obama and as a member of the House of Representatives from Chicago.
McDonald, a 17-year-old, was killed in a Chicago police shooting in 2014, while Emanuel was the city’s mayor, which resulted in former police officer Jason Van Dyke being convicted of second-degree murder and a multimillion-dollar settlement to the McDonald family — after police footage emerged more than a year later after a judge ordered Emanuel to release it, proving the teenager was not a threat.
“This nomination is deeply shameful. As mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald — a mere teenager when he was shot 16 times in the back by a Chicago Police Officer. This alone should be flatly disqualifying for any position of public trust, let alone representing the United States as an ambassador,” she said in a statement.
“That the Biden administration seeks to reward Emanuel with an ambassadorship is an embarrassment and betrayal of the values we seek to uphold both within our nation and around the world. I urge the Senate to vote NO on his confirmation.”
Emanuel has vehemently denied he attempted to cover up the incident, but critics assert he mishandled the situation, arguing it should be disqualifying for his nomination.
Ocasio-Cortez also came out against his potential appointment to serve as the head of the Department of Transportation last year, citing the shooting of an African American teenager.
Emanuel is not the Biden nominee or official whom progressives have urged be replaced. Ocasio-Cortez has been joined by Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) in calling for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to be replaced, with the group pushing for a nominee who is more focused on addressing climate change.
“As news of the possible reappointment of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell circulates, we urge President Biden to re-imagine a Federal Reserve focused on eliminating climate risk and advancing racial and economic justice,” they said in a joint statement to Politico late last month. “We urge the Biden Administration to use this opportunity to appoint a new Federal Reserve Chair.”
