Ocasio-Cortez calls focus on Hasan Piker 'absolutely ludicrous' as some Democrats demand distance

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., brushed off far-left streamer Hasan Piker's role in American politics on Thursday, questioning why people were focused or devoting time to him.

"It is absolutely ludicrous that so much oxygen from sitting elected officials in the United States Congress is being dedicated to discourse around a Twitch streamer for young people," Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the progressive Squad, said according to The Hill.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., also didn't dismiss him outright, telling the outlet she wouldn't defend all his views.

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"That's for him to do," Jayapal said.

"I dont know why, all of a sudden, the standard is you have to agree with everything he said."

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Jaypal told the outlet Democrats needed to reach Piker's voters.

"I think that we have been talking about how we need to reach out to all parts of our party and also how difficult it is sometimes to get people to pay attention to politics, and, so, streamers are important in that," Jayapal said.

The Hill cited multiple Democrats who have dismissed Piker, including Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., who told the outlet, "Not only should people not be on stage with him or take his support, they should condemn his views and what he has said.

"And I think anything short of that is unacceptable."

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Piker has campaigned with several Democrats this midterm election cycle, including Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for Senate in Michigan. Other Democrats have expressed the importance of reaching Piker's listeners, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

Piker's past statements on 9/11, which the streamer has since walked back. 

Sanders condemned the comments and told CNN in August, "He has a whole lot of followers and a lot of things that he's saying that are making sense to a lot of people. I think, you know, we have to get above cancel culture. You know, when you're doing radio, whatever they do, podcasts three hours a day, you say dumb things."

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Speaking to Stephen A. Smith during his show, "Straight Shooter," El-Sayed said this week he was trying to reach Piker's listeners.

"What I'm saying is there are 3 million people who listen to Hasan," El-Sayed said. "I want to offer them a pathway into an electoral movement where, rather than sit outside of the electoral system, they see a pathway around the things that they agree with that he says that I agree with and a pathway that disavows the th