Fox News’ Laura Ingraham and her guest just mocked Ocasio-Cortez’s accent in racist segment

While playing cheerleaders for the most mockable American president in recent history — quite an achievement after the George W. Bush administration — the hosts on President Trump’s de facto state-run media outlet Fox News enjoy spending their time jovially bullying whatever Democratic target du jour strikes their fancy on a given day.

Last night, the cable network’s Laura Ingraham — joined by her guest, conservative lawyer Joe DiGenova — decided that it was time to make fun of one of the Democratic party’s rising new stars, freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Rather than attacking the bold young representative solely on the policy issues with which they disagree, Ingraham and her guest decided to waste their airtime on juvenile derision of the way the Bronx-born congresswoman of Hispanic descent pronounces her own name.

Ingraham inquired of her guest whether DiGenova had ever paid attention to how when Rep. Ocasio-Cortez “introduces herself, does she take on that Obama, Obama put on accents?”

The right-wing conspiracy theory-peddling lawyer responded by saying:

“She does the Latina thing where she does her, you know, ’Anastasio Ocasio-Cortez,” diGenova said, using an exaggerated accent while mangling the Congresswoman’s not-so-difficult first name.

DiGenova then pronounced his own name with an exaggerated Italian accent.

“And I assume she’s going to love that when I do that,” he added.

Ingraham didn’t limit her contempt towards the inspiring firebrand of a representative to mocking her heritage by ignorantly lampooning the proper pronunciation of her given surname. She also cattily described Ocasio-Cortez as the Democrats’ “It Girl, and I mean girl in a very mature way.” Ingraham also referred to her as “the juice” of her party, in what could be interpreted as perhaps a begrudging measure of respect for the Congresswoman were it not for the obvious opposition that Ingraham has to everything Ocasio-Cortez represents.

You can watch a clip of Ingraham and DiGenova’s conversation in the clip below, posted by Media Matters For America researcher Jason Campbell.

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Original reporting by Lee Moran at HuffPost.

Vinnie Longobardo

is the Managing Editor of Washington Press and a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile, & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art.