Sandy MaloneWashington, DC – Democrats are distancing themselves from a DC antifa who has been charged as part of a mob that attacked two Hispanic U.S. Marines in Philadelphia in November of 2018.
Joseph Alcoff, who has appeared with members of Congress at press conferences and on podcasts, is facing a slew of charges that include aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation, and conspiracy in connection with the attack, the Philadelphia district attorney’s office told Philadelphia Magazine.
The incident occurred on Nov. 17, 2018 when antifa was protesting at a We the People rally in the Old City section of Philadelphia.
The Marines testified that they were in town for the U.S. Marine Corps ball and had no knowledge of the rally when they were attacked by 10 to 12 antifa who called the Hispanic soldiers “Nazis” and “white supremacists,” Philadelphia Magazine reported.
The activists allegedly punched, kicked, and sprayed Mace on the Marines during the incident.
Despite the fact that Democrats in Washington want nothing to do with Alcoff now, his endorsement was sought after in the recent past, FOX News reported.
Several congressional Democrats quoted Alcoff in press releases supporting legislation to curb payday loans when he was working as a campaign manager for Americans for Financial Reform.
“The Consumer Bureau and Congress have in the past understood the way that payday lenders structure loans to catch Americans in a cycle of debt with exorbitant interest rates,” Alcoff was quoted as saying in multiple Democratic lawmakers’ press releases, according to FOX News.
“It is unfortunate that some in Washington would rather open the loan shark gates than continue to think about sensible borrower protections. The SAFE Lending Act would put Washington back on track to stop the debt trap,” he said.
Alcoff also met with senior officials from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) multiple times over a two-year period, from 2016 to 2018, according to FOX News.
In April of 2016, he met with CFPB Director Richard Cordray and other senior bureau officials.
Alcoff met with the same elite group again in March and May of 2017, FOX News reported.
He was pictured in photos with U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D-California) and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in March of 2016, when they were the ranking members on the House and Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committees, respectively.
The whole time he was rubbing elbows with high-ranking Democrats on Capitol Hill, Alcoff was also a leader of DC’s antifa movement, FOX News reported.
He was an organizer for Smash Racism DC, the antifa group that was suspended from Twitter after aggressively protesting outside FOX News host Tucker Carlson’s home, according to Deadline.
The same organization chased U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and his wife from a restaurant in September of 2018.
A spokesman for U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-Virginia) tried to deny any connection to Alcoff after he appeared on the dais at an event with the congressman in February of 2018.
“The congressman has never interacted with him nor has he taken any financial policy advice from him. Their names have appeared on the same piece of paper,” Beyer Spokesman Aaron Fritschner told FOX News. “He appeared at the same press conference, but they didn’t speak to each other. This person was literally wearing a shark outfit.”
In August of 2018, Alcoff appeared as a guest on the House Democrats’ Joint Economic Committee podcast and complained about the decline of consumer protections under the Trump administration, FOX News reported.
Alcoff has a long history of activism, and was arrested in Bordentown, New Jersey and charged with rioting back in 2011, Philadelphia Magazine reported.
He was recorded on video in March of 2005 announcing “I’m a communist, motherf–ker” before spitting in the person filming’s face.
Alcoff is scheduled to appear in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia on Monday.