Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) faced a number of questions after someone claimed to have found a “burner” Twitter account connected to her.
Niko House (@realnikohouse) replied to a few tweets posted by Ocasio-Cortez and got responses from a seemingly random account (@zazasmoka). He quickly noticed that when that account replied back, the responses were framed in first-person perspective — as if the person responding was the congresswoman herself.
“YOOOOO!!! AOC has burned accounts. I responded to one of her posts reminding her that she sends money to Nazis, and some random account responded to me speaking in first person as if I attacked them. Then that same person DELETED the tweet
YOOOOO!!! AOC has burned accounts. I responded to one of her posts reminding her that she sends money to Nazis, and some random account responded to me speaking in first person as if I attacked them. Then that same person DELETED the tweets 😭🤣 pic.twitter.com/GxwIWSPv6h
— Joe Biden Hates Black People (@realnikohouse) April 1, 2023
Closer scrutiny of the alleged “burner account” revealed that whoever was controlling the account was not just tweeting in defense of AOC — they were also tweeting death threats at The Daily Wire podcast host and “What Is a Woman?” creator Matt Walsh.
What did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mean by this? pic.twitter.com/LxRBG4xuBz
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 3, 2023
Responding to a tweet from Walsh about the danger posed by the trans movement, @zazasmoka replied, “You are a hateful little freak and I can’t wait until you piss off a trans person that actually is as unhinged as you say they all are … can’t be a bigot if you’re no longer breathing.”
Walsh spoke up as well, asking Ocasio-Cortez to address the issue and condemn the rhetoric if the account was not, in fact, hers. “Hi @AOC, this isn’t you wishing death on me is it? Many are speculating that this is your burner account. You need to come out and denounce this kind of rhetoric or we can only assume that you support it.”
Hi @AOC, this isn't you wishing death on me is it? Many are speculating that this is your burner account. You need to come out and denounce this kind of rhetoric or we can only assume that you support it. https://t.co/Ydr6jgY0DX
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 3, 2023
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene responded as well, tweeting, “This you @AOC? Zaza Demon is your burner account? That is a disturbing name. Excited to see an ‘unhinged trans’ murder a member of the conservative press, Matt Walsh? Yes that is demonic so the name fits.”
This you @AOC?
Zaza Demon is your burner account?
That is a disturbing name.
Excited to see an “unhinged trans” murder a member of the conservative press, Matt Walsh?
Yes that is demonic so the name fits. https://t.co/llSMiivoz1
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 3, 2023
Ocasio-Cortez did not respond to the tweets suggesting the account was hers — but if it was, she would certainly not be the first elected official to use an anonymous “burner account.” Senator Mitt Romney admitted to using a secret account — which Slate later reported was under the name Pierre Delecto — to “keep tabs on the political conversation.”