Cenk Uygur sharply criticized Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on his show Thursday, accusing the congresswoman of giving a “Kamala-like word salad” when asked whether she would endorse her former chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, in an upcoming primary.
Speaking on “The Young Turks,” Uygur mocked Ocasio-Cortez’s response after she was pressed by Drop Site News about backing Chakrabarti, who previously served as her chief of staff and campaign manager during her 2018 congressional victory.
“What was that? That was a Kamala Harris–like word salad,” Uygur said. “OK, I’m going to try to decipher it.”
Uygur’s comments came as AOC declined to directly endorse Chakrabarti, despite his central role in her rise and his current candidacy in a high-profile primary contest.
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Explaining her hesitation, Ocasio-Cortez framed the decision as part of a broader political calculation.
“I’m trying to think about the role that I am trying to play more broadly in these things,” she said. “We’ve got 435 seats in Congress, right?… And once you go in then it’s like what about this, what about this, what about this one?… We’re thinking about how much of myself I’m pouring into this.”
Uygur rejected that reasoning, arguing the question was straightforward given her relationship with Chakrabarti.
“Yeah, but we’re not asking about 434 other seats. We’re asking about your former chief of staff,” he said.
Uygur also questioned the delay in endorsing Chakrabarti, suggesting it should not require extended deliberation.
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“Does your crack team have to work for six, eight months to endorse your former chief of staff?” he asked. “Don’t you know who your former chief of staff is?”
“I know how much of himself [Chakrabarti] poured into your campaign… 100%. And I think it made all the difference,” Uygur said.
Uygur broadened his criticism of the progressive movement, arguing that leaders should more actively support allies like Chakrabarti when they run for office.
“You’re supposed to put up a ladder so they could climb up, not take the ladder away or not take six months to decide,” he said.
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“I’m not against AOC, she is on our side on the policies way more than the average person in Congress,” Uygur said, adding that her response in this case was “bizarre” and “inexplicable.”
Uygur also contrasted Chakrabarti with his primary opponent, California State Sen. Scott Wiener, criticizing the California Democrat’s record on Israel-related issues.
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“In fact, his main opponent, Scott Wiener, is one of the most pro-Israel legislators in all of California,” Uygur said, adding that Wiener has supported efforts targeting criticism of Israel in schools and on college campuses.
“So it’s not like this is a hard question as to who progressives should support,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez for comment.
