Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticizes Pelosi and Schumer, calls for ‘new leadership in the Democratic Party’

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticizes Pelosi and Schumer, calls for ‘new leadership in the Democratic Party’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez insisted that top Democrats House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should no longer head the party.

"We need new leadership in the Democratic Party," Ocasio-Cortez said in new podcast with the Intercept on Wednesday.

The criticism comes as stimulus talks between the Democratic leaders and their Republican counterparts are ongoing.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez insisted that top Democrats House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should no longer head the party during a new podcast with The Intercept on Wednesday. 

"We need new leadership in the Democratic Party," Ocasio-Cortez told host Jeremy Scahill. 

The criticism comes as stimulus talks between the Democratic leaders and their Republican counterparts, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, have escalated in recent days. The parties appear near to finalizing a deal that would provide much-needed relief to Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"We, the Democratic Party, gave up a lot of leverage," Ocasio-Cortez said of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in March. The legislation was "everything that the Republican Party wanted."

"I knew that if we gave away the farm then, we would have very little leverage to get