Ocasio-Cortez Attempts To Fundraise Off of Barstool Feud, Founder Dave Portnoy Fires Back
You’d be forgiven for wondering if Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is on Barstool Sports’ payroll at this point.
The democratic socialist congresswoman’s calling out of Barstool founder Dave Portnoy for a harmless joke about unions has given the company a windfall of traffic, content and revenue. Now, she’s done it again.
On Wednesday, the freshman congresswoman from New York gave Portnoy another round of ammunition by sending out a fundraising email highlighting her bravery in threatening government force against a private citizen who has created hundreds of jobs after starting from nothing.
“Yesterday Barstool Sports’ founder went to Twitter to break national labor law and threaten to fire any employee who tried to form a union. But Alexandria wasn’t having any of his anti-union scare-tactics,” the email reads.
“Our campaign will always stand in solidarity with workers who exercise their right to unionize. Donate $3 now and do your part to support our movement for worker solidarity and collective organizing.”
For anybody wondering real reason O’CRAZIO Cortez @AOC decided to get involved in something she knows nothing about yesterday it shouldn’t be surprising shes using @barstoolsports as excuse to milk people for donations.She won’t debate me but she won’t shut up about me either pic.twitter.com/JCsG9Sd7xw
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 14, 2019
A recent article from The Daily Caller News Foundation that shows Ocasio-Cortez has only reported receiving $1,525.50 in fundraising from her constituents in the first half of 2019 could partially explain her desperation.
Portnoy responded to the controversy Wednesday during an interview with Mark Steyn, who was filling in as host on the Fox News program “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
“I’m not cowering. I would love to talk to her, have her debate, but I don’t think she’s gonna do it,” Portnoy said.
“She did use Barstool Sports and my name and the clout, we have a big following, to try to raise some donations. She sent out a letter and said she’s fighting us, but yeah no, I doubt she’s gonna step to the podium.”
“The people that think I am going to jail, they’re idiots. Let me clarify real quick, we are a comedy site, we’re pretty clear about that. We have no union at Barstool Sports. Nobody is trying to make a union at Barstool Sports,” he added.
“I don’t think she has any clue who we are or what we do. She just jumped in the fray like an idiot and now it helped us. But, yeah, it was a good day for Barstool. It continues to be,” he said, touting Tuesday as “the biggest day we’ve ever had at Barstool Sports.”
Portnoy also insisted via Twitter that his anger with Ocasio-Cortez has nothing to do with politics and that he would have responded in the same way if “a Republican launched an unprovoked attack.”
I can promise you if a Republican launched an unprovoked attack at me and tried to use me as a fundraising ploy I would be equally ruthless. I didn’t pick a fight with O’CRAZIO. She picked one with me. https://t.co/cOb1RKizt7
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 15, 2019
Now the only question is, will Ocasio-Cortez drop the issue? Because Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports sure won’t.
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