Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is under investigation for ethics violations, the House Ethics Committee announced on Dec. 7.
The brief announcement said only that “the Acting Chairwoman and Acting Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics have jointly decided to extend the matter regarding Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which was transmitted to the Committee by the Office of Congressional Ethics on June 23, 2022.” (pdf)
It gave no explanation about the reason for the investigation.
Still, there are indications that give some clues as to possible reasons for the case: specifically, Ocasio-Cortez’s attendance of the Met Gala in September 2021.
At the gala, an annual event attended by the wealthy and well-connected, Ocasio-Cortez made splashes when she wore a designer dress that read “Tax the Rich.” The statement was instantly mocked by conservatives, who noted that the Met Gala costs tens of thousands of dollars to attend—a figure well out of reach for everyday Americans.
Accountability Group Files Ethics Complaint
Following the event, Thomas Jones, founder of the conservative-leaning American Accountability Foundation (AAF) argued in an ethics complaint that he believes Ocasio-Cortez, a self-described socialist who represents areas of Queens and the Bronx, broke House rules by accepting the gift (pdf).
“The American Accountability Foundation is writing today to request that you immediately open an investigation of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) for accepting an impermissible gift to attend the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala (the Met Gala),” Jones’s statement said.
He requested an investigation into whether Ocasio-Cortez’s attendance at the pricey event, or the high-end designer dress she wore, constituted a violation of the House’s complicated Gift Rule.
“Specifically,” Jones wrote, “we believe Representative Ocasio-Cortez has violated clause 5 of Rule XXV of the Rules of the House of Representatives (commonly known as the Gift Rule) by accepting admission to the Met Gala, an event whose per seat costs is reported to range from $35,000 to $50,000, without having a permissible exemption to allow the acceptance of the lavish gift.
“If Representative Occasion-Cortez has used campaign funds to pay for this ticket, she has also violated FEC prohibitions on campaign funds being used for entertainment purposes,” Jones added.
“Without prompt investigation and enforcement of Congressional Rules, the American people are likely to lose faith in the ability of Congress to police its members,” he wrote.
The Dec. 7 statement by the House Ethics Committee, attributable to acting Chair Susan Wild (D-Pa.) and Ranking Member Michael Guest (R-Miss.), emphasized that the disclosure of the investigation “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the committee.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not reply to a request for comment.
According to a report by Forbes, a spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez said, “The Congresswoman has always taken ethics incredibly seriously, refusing any donations from lobbyists, corporations or other special interests.”
Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
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Her dress should have read “Fleece the campaign donors” not tax the rich.
“We are confident that this matter will be dismissed,” Ocasio-Cortez’s office added.,,,,,more like a confident Pardon from President Hard on, the designer of our current political crisis who gets paid way more under the table campaign funds diversion and money laudering than any dressmaker was ever paid. As far as Congress’s ability to police itself, that ability was defunded the minute when Pelosi took office.
WHY Did this take so bloody long, to even GET an investigation going??
The entire sock-puppet Joe Bidens administration should be under investigation by the ethics violations, the House Ethics Committee.
But the House Democrats have NO ethics, so this is just a scam until the Republicans take over the House of representatives in Jan. 2023.
Just pull the controlling hands out of the backsides of these sock puppets and they would crumple like the broken torn rag dolls they really are, in need of being returned to Santa’s trash bin in the land of broken flawed Christmas toys. It is the Soros type hands that rock their cradles and fill their backsides with unnatural corruption that need to be cut off,,,,,at the shoulder. So long as they remain standing, any of his useful idiots can replace the ones we actually are able to impeach and remove from office. Follow the money, then send in the Navy Seals for a Bin Laden takedown.
Big deal. NOTHING will happen to her. She is a democrap you know.
The little Communist hypocrite will just whind about how racist it is to investigate her for being a liberal crook just like her boss Nazi PeeLousy.
BUT its ok to investigate trump, TIME AFTER TIME AFTER TIME>..
Yaaawn…. The committee will spend thousands of dollars to process this and, in the end, nothing substantial will happen. After all, knowingly or unknowingly, they are all guilty of the same thing at some point.
He iS like Obama do the Stupid TRADES so they can kill More
Americans Period
Yes, in the end, they all have dirt on each other and nothing will happen. This is the same reason why nothing has or will happen to Hillary or anyone in Congress/government.
Because the entire kit and kaboodal, is ROTTEN to the core…
There was an early morning raid with a SWAT TEAM dragging her out in make believe handcuffs.
I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder!
There will BE no raid on her.. SHE is afterall a fellow commucrat.
If AOC gets anything for this, it will be a slap on the wrist. She has been a thorn in the side of many Democrats and once in a while they will slap down one of their own in order to virtue signal. We know if you’re a Democrat you can marry your bother, commit fraud, and the party will look the other way, so any time they demand accountability of a member there’s an ulterior motive.
And just what is wrong with marrying your brother? Remember, you should be able to marry anyone you love as per new legislation. Love granny? Nothing stops you from marrying her – unless of course gramps is still breathing.
Are you joking?? YOU don’t really know what’s wrong with marrying family members?