ABC News made sure to mention that “no handcuffs were seen” several paragraphs into the report.
Seventeen lawmakers in total were arrested, according to Capitol Police, including Reps. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Illinois’ Jan Schakowsky. The charge was crowding, obstructing or incommoding, police said.
Officers at the Supreme Court told the protesters that they were participating in “illegal demonstration activity” before advising anyone who didn’t want to get arrested to leave, which sparked singing and chanting from the group.
Officers then began arresting the demonstrators, though no handcuffs were seen. Police also collected IDs and took pictures of those arrested — including of some of the lawmakers — and brought water to the staging area for protesters to drink.
Needless to say, conservative Twitter did not let ABC News off the hook for its choice of photograph:
ABC can't honestly use these photos.
AOC and Ilhan Omar are PRETENDING to be handcuffed. https://t.co/bWgegzAYZH
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 19, 2022
JUST IN: Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and other House Democrats arrested in abortion rights protest at the Supreme Court. https://t.co/N5z1UTto8x pic.twitter.com/7MMJk2a7Rj
— ABC News (@ABC) July 19, 2022
AOC fakes being handcuffed after arrest at abortion rights protest https://t.co/cs7GyF4RS1 pic.twitter.com/XBP0Ahmib7
— New York Post (@nypost) July 19, 2022