AOC, Jayapal walk away from question about topless trans activists at White House

FIRST ON FOX: Democrat Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Pramila Jayapal of Washington walked away from questioning on the transgender activists who went topless at the White House.

Fox News Digital on Wednesday asked several lawmakers from both sides of the aisle for their reactions to the incident.

Ocasio-Cortez and Jayapal both declined to comment.

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Other Democrats, including Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan, declined to comment when asked by Fox News Digital for their take off-camera.

Republicans on the Hill were more vocal about the incident, with Indiana Rep. Jim Banks telling Fox News Digital he’s "rarely seen anything as unbecoming or inappropriate" as what he saw from the Saturday event at the White House.

"Bare-chested men and women celebrating in a way that is not just disgusting, it forecasts and it teaches our kids something that’s so antithetical to what they should see on TV or in the media, and in this case in front of the White House," Banks said.

"The symbolism of the White House, one of the most powerful structures in the world that represents America, to have those kinds of images broadcast to not just our kids, but to the rest of the world is downright shameful," the Indiana Republican continued.

Banks said he was "glad the White House denounced it" and that the activists were disinvited from future events, but said "the big question is: why were they ever invited to begin with?"

"And, you saw the sheer disrespect of the United States flag in the background at the White House with the gay pride flag elevated in between two of our United States of America flags," Banks said. "And it just goes to show, when you disrespect the flag, you have people who are going to disrespect the White House, disrespect America at the same time, too."

"It’s shameful and I hope we never see something like it ever again," he added.

GOP Florida Rep. Michael Waltz, a former Green Beret, blasted President Biden for "telling this whole crowd that they were the bravest people he had ever seen."

"I mean, it just goes back to who we celebrate as our heroes," Waltz said. "My heroes wear camouflage, not capes or rainbow flags. And this is the same administration that celebrated Bowe Bergdahl as a hero, who was an absolute deserter."

"So when you have the commander in chief telling them that they’re the bravest people he has ever seen, and we have more people overseas than the entire British, Canadian and Australian combined, let’s tell them how brave they are," he continued.

"Those are my heroes, and I think this [is] one more example of this administration’s priorities being totally misplaced," Waltz added.

Fellow Florida Republican Rep. Kat Cammack told Fox News Digital "you have to respect the office and institutions in which this entire complex, this 10 square miles of D.C., stands for."

"So disrespectful, totally inappropriate," Cammack said. "There were children at this event, and I think it speaks largely to the movement that we’ve been seeing in the last year."

"Total disregard for decency, I am very, very disappointed that the White House invited them," she added.

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Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital, "It’s just disgusting that you have a president who allows that type of behavior at the White House."

"Obviously, I don’t agree with those types of issues and politically to support that, in our nation’s Capitol and at the White House is a pretty disgusting display of the professionalism that should be what the White House stands for," Steube added.

On Saturday, male-to-female transgender activist Rose Montoya posted a video in which Montoya's breasts, and those of other transgender activists, were displayed at the White House’s Pride Month event that had children in attendance.

Montoya, a TikTok influencer, originally posted the video from Saturday's event. It shows Montoya and another unnamed transgender activist, a biological female, baring their breasts on the South Lawn with the White House in view behind them.

Montoya also captured an interaction with Biden himself in the video. The influencer can be seen smiling next to the president and saying, "It's an honor, Mr. President. Trans rights are human rights."

A White House spokesperson condemned Montoya and other transgender activists' behavior on Tuesday, saying that they have been banned from future White House events.

"This behavior is inappropriate and disrespectful for any event at the White House. It is not reflective of the event we hosted to celebrate LGBTQI+ families or the other hundreds of guests who were in attendance. Individuals in the video will not be invited to future events," the statement read.

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Biden was seen holding the camera in an attempt to take a selfie with Montoya and other attendees, but the camera was set to video mode.

The video caused widespread outcry on social media, with many users saying Montoya and the group had disgraced the White House.

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.