(CNN) A photo of a group of young men wearing "Team Mitch" t-shirts -- as sign of support for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell -- appearing to kiss and mock choke a cardboard cutout of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is drawing sharp criticism from the freshman Democratic congresswoman.

"Hey @senatemajldr - these young men look like they work for you," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter on Monday. "Just wanted to clarify: are you paying for young men to practice groping & choking members of Congress w/ your payroll, or is this just the standard culture of #TeamMitch? Thanks."

In the photo, which was taken from Instagram and but was posted on Twitter, one of the men appears to be trying to kiss the cutout while another appears to be making a choking gesture. The photos appear to be from a large picnic in Fancy Farm Kentucky, an annual event known for its outspoken politics. McConnell himself spoke at the event Saturday and was taunted by chants of "Moscow Mitch" during his remarks.

The original photo was later taken down. The user who posted the photo originally apologized: "My friends and I sincerely apologize to Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, Senator McConnell, to our school, St. Jerome Parish, and our community for our insensitive actions at Fancy Farm this past weekend."

McConnell's campaign manager, Kevin Golden, said in a statement that Democrats were working to demonize high schoolers.

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