Socialist Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took a break from her House campaign to represent New York’s 14th Congressional District but made up for lost time this weekend on Twitter by apologizing for banning the press from recent events while defending her move because supporters may need a “sanctuary space” away from the media.

“Catching up on how this became a thing while I was gone,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Sunday.

“Biggest critique is it should‘ve been labeled ‘private,’ even though we’d said prior it was closed to press,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

“Genuine Q?: how should we label a free campaign event, open to all, that’s a sanctuary space? Still private?” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

Her tweet linked to one by left-wing media figure Matthew Yglesias, co-founder and reporter at Vox.

“Journalists scandalized by @Ocasio2018 meeting with constituents without allowing reporters to join are going to be so mad when they find out about donor calls,” Yglesias tweeted.

Ocasio-Cortez tweeted twice more about the press ban, defending it and declaring at least one of those events a success.

“Not trying to make a mountain out of a molehill, but we are genuinely trying to create environments of where our constituents feel comfortable expressing honestly & engaging in discourse,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

“Usually people pay $5k/plate for that, but we were trying to make that enviro for all,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

“To be honest, the event was very successful,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

“People were much more comfortable sharing their personal issues with healthcare, housing, and immigration. It was a safe + powerful environment for change,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

“My apologies if the situation upset or alarmed journalists or constituents,” she tweeted.

Breitbart News reported that Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign manager also defended their press ban plan but claimed it was an anomaly. 

“We wanted to help create a space where community members felt comfortable and open to express themselves without the distraction of cameras and press. These were the first set of events where the press has been excluded,” Campaign Manager Corbin Trent said in a report by the Queens Chronicle article. “This is an outlier and will not be the norm. We’re still adjusting our logistics to fit Alexandria’s national profile.” 

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