Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was busily writing notes throughout Michael Cohen’s explosive testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, as the progressive newcomer awaited her chance to cross-examine Donald Trump’s former lawyer about the president’s alleged lies and criminal conduct.

When the time came, prosecutors and Washington attorneys on both sides of the political aisle said the Democratic lawmaker displayed a unique effectiveness in asking investigative questions that get to specific answers: “Does that treasure trove of documents still exist?” she asked. “Who else knows that the president did this? … Where would the committee find more information on this? Do you think we need to review [the president’s] financial statements and tax returns in order to compare them?”

Ms Ocasio-Cortez “didn't grandstand,” NPR wrote. “Rather, she used her time to appear to make a case for subpoenaing Trump's tax returns.”

Her cross-examination, which arrived near the close of Cohen’s public testimony during a three-day stint on Capitol Hill that featured other hearings with lawmakers behind closed doors, immediately became a viral sensation on Wednesday afternoon.

The New York Democrat thanked supporters for their praise on Twitter, attributing her “razor sharp BS detector” to her experience working in the service industry in New York City.

“Thanks!” the congresswoman wrote to a Twitter user who said her line of questioning was “pretty amazing”.

“Bartending + waitressing (especially in NYC) means you talk to 1000s of people over the years,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “Forces you to get great at reading people + hones a razor-sharp BS detector.”

Thanks!



Bartending + waitressing (especially in NYC) means you talk to 1000s of people over the years. Forces you to get great at reading people + hones a razor-sharp BS detector.



Just goes to show that what some consider to be “unskilled labor” can actually be anything but 😉 https://t.co/pcVKe5XKdm — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 28, 2019

The young Democrat has celebrated her working class roots in office, sharing the story of how she worked at a bar near Union Square in New York City while spearheading a campaign that went on to defeat a 10-term incumbent.

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“Just goes to show that what some consider to be “unskilled laboor” can actually be anything but,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez added on Wednesday, ending the tweet with a wink emoji.

Other fact-finders lauded Ms Ocasio-Cortez for her “good questioning” of Cohen, who detailed several alleged crimes the president has committed, from asset inflation to paying off women he had affairs with during the 2016 presidential election.

“Some lessons that other lawmakers could learn from [Ms Ocasio Cortez’s] good questioning of Cohen: a) follow-up on previously asked questions that still need answers b) be precise and detailed and c) avoid much grandstanding,” Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s fact-checker, wrote in a tweet after the Wednesday testimony.

“You might elicit news,” he added.