Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says bartending and waitressing helped her develop a 'BS detector' after being praised for her questions during Michael Cohen's testimony
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked Michael Cohen about President Donald Trump's finances during his testimony in front of the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
- Ocasio-Cortez received praise for how she utilized her time during her questioning.
- She credited her work as a bartender and waitress for helping her develop a "razor-sharp BS detector."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said her time working as a bartender and waitress helped her develop a "razor-sharp BS detector" after she was praised for the questions she asked during Michael Cohen's public testimony on Wednesday.
Ocasio-Cortez focused her questions on President Donald Trump's finances as Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer, testified in front of the House Oversight Committee.
Her questions and use of time received praise on social media, and she noted that it was her experience in the restaurant industry that helped her hone her skills.
"Bartending + waitressing (especially in NYC) means you talk to 1000s of people over the years. Forces you to get great at reading people + hones a razor-sharp BS detector," she said on Twitter following the hearing. "Just goes to show that what some consider to be 'unskilled labor' can actually be anything but."
Ocasio-Cortez worked at a bar in New York City until late 2017, months before she defeated 10-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in the 2018 congressional primary.
In January she told The Hollywood Reporter that her work in the restaurant industry prepped her for working in Washington politics.
"When you work in the service industry as a woman, you are harassed all the time. It's just part of your job," she said. "You're often spoken to in a way that is very classist. You are treated like a servant. So you really get used to navigating those dynamics."
During her questioning on Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez asked Cohen about Trump's tax returns, whether or not he had ever inflated or deflated assets, and tax-fraud allegations.
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