Education Secretary Betsy DeVos calls out AOC's hypocrisy on school choice

Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos took aim at democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Monday, after it was revealed that just a few years ago, the far-left anti-school-choice congresswoman helped get her goddaughter into a charter school.

What are the details?

The New York Post reported than an unearthed Facebook live video from 2017 shows Ocasio-Cortez, who was not yet in office, telling her followers, "This area's like a lot of where my family is from. My goddaughter, I got her into a charter school like maybe a block or two down."

The Post began its piece on Ocasio-Cortez with the line, "Good for me, but not for thee."

Sec. DeVos shared the story on Twitter with the message, "How nice that @AOC claims to have helped her goddaughter get into a public charter school. It's a shame she works to deny that opportunity to every other disadvantaged family in America. 'Good for me, but not for thee,' indeed. #EducationReform."

In its report, the Post noted that "embracing charters would be a big no-no for Ocasio-Cortez's Democratic social base, which calls for the total abolition of charters, arguing that their existence hurts traditional public schools."

But it is not just democratic socialists who oppose charter schools. The unions that represent public school teachers are famously opposed to offering any type of choice for students in failing public schools, and their disdain for charter options is a central complaint during strikes and rallies.

Ocasio-Cortez pointed to this while cheering on a teachers' strike in Los Angeles last year, writing on her Twitter feed, "Tens of thousands of LA public school teachers, parents, and students are on a historic strike to improve + protect local public schools from privatization. This is inspiring!"

Anything else?

Sec. DeVos and President Donald Trump, on the other hand, are school choice advocates. Columnist Cal Thomas interviewed the secretary of education for an article published by Fox News last week, wherein DeVos argued her position that families stuck in failing government schools deserve alternatives.

"I do know there are over one million families on wait lists for charters schools," DeVos told Thomas, adding, "I imagine there is close to that number who would opt to do something different if they had the opportunity."