FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Ocasio-Cortez Pouring Shots In A Bar Days Before Testing Positive For COVID-19?

A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pouring shots in a bar days before testing positive for COVID-19.

Verdict: False

The video was taken in October 2021 at a bar in Buffalo. Ocasio-Cortez announced her positive COVID-19 test result in early January.

Fact Check:

Ocasio-Cortez’s office posted an announcement through her congressional Twitter account Jan. 9 stating she had tested positive for COVID-19. The congresswoman posted an update to Instagram Jan. 15, announcing that she had recovered and would be “wrapping up quarantine.”

A video shared on Facebook features Ocasio-Cortez pouring drinks for a crowd at a bar without a mask. The caption of the video reads, “Ocasio Pouring Drinks In A Bar Days Before Testing Positive Of The Virus.” (RELATED: Does Ocasio-Cortez’s Twitter Video Show A Fracking Site Releasing Toxic Emissions?)

The video predates her bout with COVID-19. A reverse image search revealed it first appeared in October 2021 on the Instagram account of the Jack Rabbit Bar in Buffalo, New York. “@aoc absolutely handling the bar at tonight’s @indiawaltonforbuffalo party at @jackrabbitbuffalo!” reads the video’s caption. The post is clearly dated to Oct. 24, 2021, months before the congresswoman contracted COVID-19.

Ocasio-Cortez was in Buffalo to participate in an Oct. 23 rally for Democratic Buffalo mayoral candidate India B. Walton, according to The Buffalo News. The event, which included former gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, focused on encouraging supporters of Walton to partake in the state’s early voting period.

Check Your Fact previously debunked a fabricated tweet in January that was made to look like Ocasio-Cortez blamed Republicans, climate change and racism for her positive COVID-19 test.

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