Six days after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol (opens in new tab) in the midst of the Electoral College certification for the 2020 election, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez opened up about the traumatic day on Instagram Live (opens in new tab). The congresswoman is no stranger to taking questions from constituents on the app, and late Tuesday night, nearly 100,000 people tuned in to the hour-long live show where she answered questions about her January 6 experience. Minutes after the video, she admitted that she thought she was going to die.

"I suffered a pretty traumatic event, and I don't even know if I can reveal the full story of what happened due to security concerns. At the end of your life, those feelings come rushing in," she says (opens in new tab). 'It happened to many of us on Wednesday. We didn't know if we would make it through the day alive. Not just in a general sense, but in a very specific sense."

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez opened the video by saying that the President is a "traitor to our country" and accused Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Montana) of being complicit in undermining democracy out of political ambition. She also reiterated the harsh reality of what happened that day, not only to herself, but to other members of Congress as well.

"Many members of Congress were almost killed. Many congressional staffers were almost killed. Many children - children of congressmen - were there. ......."

Congressman Ocasio-Cortez then used the live event as an opportunity to talk about trauma, telling viewers that counselors and doctors were available for the legislators and explaining the rapid reactions that occur in the body when exposed to a traumatic event.

The full AOC Instagram Live can be viewed here (opens in new tab).