Conservatives ridiculed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for using the dilapidated condition of her grandma’s Puerto Rico house to score points against Donald Trump. One pundit, however, set about raising some money for poor old abuela.
“Just over a week ago, my abuela fell ill. I went to Puerto Rico to see her – my 1st time in a year+ [because] of COVID,” Representative Ocasio-Cortez said in a tweet on Wednesday, referring to her grandmother. The post also included two photos of her grandma’s house, in which drooping ceiling panels were visible, apparently damaged by water.
Also on rt.com ‘Go help her’: AOC accused of virtue signaling after she uses photo of grandma’s dilapidated home in Puerto Rico to attack TrumpThough AOC used the post to attack former president Donald Trump for allegedly blocking hurricane relief funds to the Caribbean island, conservatives were quick to point out that Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017 – and to attack the Democrat for not helping her grandmother fix up her house herself.
Matt Walsh, a conservative pundit, took things one step further on Friday, and launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise some much-needed cash for abuela’s home.
The funding drive angered Democrats, who accused Walsh of being “sick in the mind” and of running a “fraudulent” campaign. They called him a “racist” too for good measure.
It also enraged some conservatives, who suggested that Walsh’s time would be better spent fundraising for the Trump supporters still locked in solitary confinement after the January riot on Capitol Hill, and others who mocked him for handing money to his political “enemies.”
Still, plenty of Walsh’s fellow conservatives cheered the apparent “trolling,” and opened their wallets. By 5pm Eastern Time, the crowdfunding campaign had raised just under $60,000, smashing the target amount of $48,990.
However, on Saturday, after raising $104,153, the campaign was shut down by Walsh. Citing an email from the crowdfunding platform, he said “someone” in the family told GoFundMe that AOC’s grandma would not accept the money, suggesting that it was a response from the lawmaker herself.
“Abuela could have accepted the money and donated it to charity, but it seems AOC preferred to insult the 5,800 people who donated,” Walsh wrote.
The donations are now expected to be refunded in full.
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