Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the Jan. 6 insurrection was a 'trial run'

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned that last year's Capitol riot was just a "trial run."
• She said that if Republicans retake the majority in November, "then they have the votes to not authorize and legitimize the presidential election."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez characterized the Capitol riot that left five dead as a "trial run," saying it's "important" to ensure Democrats keep their majority in the House during this year's midterm elections.

"If we lose the House — this is no joke. January 6 was a trial run, and a lot of people don't seem to understand that," The New York Democrat said during a town hall this week. "It was a trial run, and they're going to come back."

In the midterms, election observers expect Republicans to gain control of the chamber from Democrats, who currently hold a wafer-thin majority. Democrats have also led the inquiry into the Capitol riot, including forming a select committee. But Republican House leaders have signaled that the committee would be disbanded or repurposed if the party is in control.

"The only reason it wasn't worse was because Democrats had the House and they didn't have the votes in the House," Ocasio-Cortez said.

If Republicans retake the majority in November, "then they have the votes to not authorize and legitimize the presidential election," she said.

Congress and Vice President Mike Pence, however, certified Biden's win Rioters after rioters — emboldened by former President Donald Trump — violently stormed the Capitol and clashed with police.

Since the Capitol riot, lawmakers and law-enforcement officers have detailed the trauma they say they experienced. Ocasio-Cortez said she thought she was going to be raped and killed. She said she and a staffer hid in the bathroom while a group of angry Trump supporters chanted her name.

So far, more than 810 people have been charged in connection with the insurrection, according to Insider's database. In many cases, the FBI used social media posts to identify attendees.