Swansenreport

AOC Blames Accounting Firm Deloitte for Polluting Rivers. Deloitte Does Taxes.

A clip from a CNN town hall appearance by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been making the rounds again on social media — and for good reason. During the October 2025 broadcast, held during the federal government shutdown, AOC went on a pointed riff about the EPA and corporate pollution. The problem: she named the wrong company.

Ocasio-Cortez argued that before the EPA existed, rivers in rural areas were on fire because of corporations “poisoning” communities — and then named Deloitte as an example of the kind of company responsible. Deloitte is one of the world’s largest accounting, consulting, and tax services firms. It does not manufacture chemicals or operate industrial facilities. X

Most observers concluded AOC likely meant to say DuPont — the chemicals giant with a well-documented history of toxic dumping — but simply grabbed the wrong “D” company. Sky News host James Morrow was among those who covered the mix-up, calling it a case of AOC confusing DuPont with Deloitte at the CNN town hall alongside Senator Bernie Sanders. YouTube

The White House poked fun at the gaffe on social media at the time, comparing it to the verbal stumbles of the Biden years. The clip has resurfaced repeatedly since, most recently in the wake of AOC’s higher national profile following the Correspondents’ Dinner shooting and ongoing Democratic messaging battles with the Trump administration.

In the same town hall appearance, Ocasio-Cortez also called for “drinkable air” — a phrase that drew its own round of mockery online.

Sources: Blaze Media | Twitchy | Going Concern