Ocasio-Cortez apologizes for blocking ex-politician on Twitter, settles lawsuit

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has settled a lawsuit and issued an apology to a former New York state assemblyman after blocking him on Twitter.

The Associated Press and New York Daily News reported Monday that Ocasio-Cortez chose to settle the lawsuit ahead of her scheduled testimony in court Tuesday, and issued a statement apologizing for blocking former Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a talk radio host.

{mosads}“Mr. Hikind has a First Amendment right to express his views and should not be blocked for them,” she said, according to the Daily News. “In retrospect, it was wrong and improper and does not reflect the values I cherish. I sincerely apologize for blocking Mr. Hikind.”

Hikind’s lawsuit hinged on a decision by a panel of federal appeals judges ruled earlier this year that President Trump could not block critics from his Twitter account, which like Ocasio-Cortez’s is often used to make official statements.

“It’s pretty incredible. She’s apologizing,” Hikind told the Daily News. “This might be the first time that she actually says, ‘I was wrong.’ It’s great. It’s a great victory for First Amendment rights.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s Twitter account, which exploded in popularity after her primary defeat of longtime Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) last year,  sits at about 5.7 million followers, eclipsing the following of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).