'I might not make it': Ex-AOC chief of staff recalls efforts to protect her during Jan. 6 siege

Gerardo Bonilla Chavez recently announced that he was leaving a position he had held for two-and-a-half years: chief of staff for progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York).

Chavez looked back on his time working for AOC during an interview The New Republic published on November 3, including his efforts to protect her from harm during the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building.

According to Chavez, AOC has received threats on a regular basis during her three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. And he was especially worried about her safety on January 6.

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Recalling that day, Chavez told The New Republic, "The vibe was off. I was heads down at my desk when I heard this pounding on the outer door of our office. I didn't know who it was, but it wasn't like a normal knock. It was more aggressive than that — like a loud, jolting banging on the door."

According to The New Republic's Pablo Manríquez, Chavez "quickly into action, telling Ocasio-Cortez to lock herself into the office bathroom, then locking the outer door of her workspace." And a Capitol Police officer "ordered the congresswoman and her staffer to evacuate to a secure location." AOC ended up taking refuge in Rep. Katie Porter's (D-California) office.

Chavez recalled talking to his mother on the phone the afternoon the Capitol was violently attacked by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

"I told her I really don't know what’s about to happen here," Chavez explained to The New Republic. "I might not make it. From history, I knew a spectrum of political violence that was new to us here in the United States but not new to Latin America."

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Read The New Republic's full interview at this link.