Americans for Public Trust (APT), a government accountability nonprofit, filed an ethics complaint on Tuesday against Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), alleging misuse of her taxpayer-funded Member Representational Allowance (MRA).
The complaint highlights two specific expenditures: a $3,700 payment to “Juan D Gonzalez” and an $850 payment to “Bombazo Dance Co Inc.,” both categorized as “training” expenses. APT contends these payments may have been for personal or campaign-related activities, which would violate federal law and House rules prohibiting the use of MRA funds for non-official purposes.
In response to the allegations, Ocasio-Cortez stated on social media that the funds in question were not taxpayer money but related to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. She asserted, “None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing.”
The filing states: “Either she does not know the difference between her campaign funds and MRA, or, more likely, she knows the highlighted expenses were not for official business and should have been paid by her campaign and reported to the FEC.”
APT disputes this claim, asserting that the expenses were indeed paid from the MRA, which comprises taxpayer funds. Caitlin Sutherland, APT’s executive director, remarked, “Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s troubling payments from her taxpayer funded account for activities such as dance classes should be investigated.”
This is not the first time Ocasio-Cortez has faced ethics scrutiny. In 2023, she was accused of accepting impermissible gifts related to her attendance at the Met Gala in 2021, potentially violating House rules and federal law.
The Office of Congressional Ethics has yet to announce whether it will pursue an investigation into the current allegations.
