Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is under fire and potentially facing legal consequences after publicly referring to President Donald J. Trump as a “rapist” in a social media post on Friday — a claim critics are calling baseless and defamatory.

Ocasio-Cortez made the inflammatory accusation on X (formerly Twitter) in response to delays in releasing documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case:

“Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files,” she wrote.

The New York congresswoman appeared to be referencing the E. Jean Carroll case, where a jury in a civil trial found Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse — but explicitly rejected the claim of rape. There has been no criminal conviction of any kind against Trump, making AOC’s statement factually false and legally risky.

X users and legal experts immediately condemned her comments, warning that she could be held personally liable for defamation.

“Very weird that none of those allegations came out until he was running for president. Also, I’m pretty sure this is libel and an easily winnable case at that,” one user noted.

“Given that other more high-profile commentators than you have called him that, and then been successfully sued, I think you’re in some difficulty here,” wrote another.

Even Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) weighed in, stating:

“Even under the ridiculously lenient standards of NY Times v. Sullivan, you’ve managed to incur defamation liability. Wow.”

This legal warning isn’t hypothetical. Just last year, President Trump successfully sued ABC News and George Stephanopoulos after the anchor falsely claimed Trump was found liable for rape. The result? A $15 million settlement paid to Trump’s presidential library foundation, $1 million in legal fees, and a public apology from ABC.

“This is defamatory,” said conservative commentator Laura Loomer. “And I hope you are sued by Trump for this the same way George Stephanopoulos was.”

“The President should sue AOC into bankruptcy,” added legal analyst Phil Holloway. “She’s trying to raise her profile but this is way, way too far.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung didn’t hold back either, blasting AOC’s pattern of behavior and her inflammatory rhetoric:

“AOC likes to play pretend like she’s from the block, but in reality she’s just a sad, miserable blockhead who is trying to overcompensate for her lack of self-confidence that has followed her for her entire life.”

“Instead, she should get some serious help for her obvious and severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted her pea-sized brain,” Cheung added.

This isn’t AOC’s first time making false accusations against Trump. In January, ahead of the presidential inauguration, she posted a TikTok video saying she would not attend because she doesn’t “celebrate rapists.”

“Let me make myself clear,” she said on camera. “I don’t celebrate rapists. So no, I’m not going to the inauguration tomorrow.”

Media outlets like The Hill attempted to downplay her comments at the time, suggesting her remarks were vague — despite their obvious reference to President Trump’s inauguration.

With a track record of inflammatory, baseless remarks and a high-profile platform, Ocasio-Cortez may have finally crossed a line that could land her in court.