Alexandria Ocasio Cortez addressed publicly what happened to Tara Reade when she worked for Joe Biden

[Maddox]

Ocasio-Cortez was asked about the allegation during an online forum hosted by The Wing, a women's network and community space, by a questioner who said she was strongly opposed to President Trump's reelection but said she also "really resents the fact that the other choice is someone who has a really long history of being creepy to women," citing the allegation by former staffer Tara Reade.

"I think it's legitimate to talk about these things," Ocasio-Cortez responded, according to CBS News. "And if we want, if we again want to have integrity, you can't say, you know - both believe women, support all of this, until it inconveniences you, until it inconveniences us."

"I think a lot of us are just in this moment where it's like, how did we get here? You know, it almost felt like we started this cycle where we had kind of moved on from, you know, from all of this. And now it feels like we're kind of back in it," she added. "And, you know, the most diverse field that we've ever seen - that we're kind of back kind of replaying old movies in a way."

"What you're voicing is so legitimate and real. That's why I find this kind of silencing of all dissent to be a form of gaslighting."

"A lot of us are survivors, and it's really, really hard and uncomfortable." Not discussing allegations is the "exact opposite of integrity" the congresswoman said, adding that it is "not okay" to prioritize beating Trump over discussing sensitive #MeToo issues like these because they are "very legitimate thing(s)."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: "It's legitimate to talk about" allegations against Joe Biden

The New York congresswoman said of the sexual assault allegation against Biden that "silencing of all dissent" is "form of gaslighting."

www.cbsnews.com