Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for violating House Ethics rules.
QUICK FACTS:
- New York Congresswoman and outspoken progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee after she reportedly violated rules of the House.
- The statement from the bipartisan Committee revealed that Acting Chairwoman Susan Wild (D-PA) and Acting Ranking Member Michael Guest (R-MI) “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.”
- “The Committee notes that the mere fact of a referral or an extension, and the mandatory disclosure of such an extension and the name of the subject of the matter, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee,” the statement read.
- While it was unclear from the statement what rules AOC violated, multiple ethics watchdog organizations have filed complaints against the Congresswoman after she attended the Met Gala last year.
- The ethics groups reported that Ocasio-Cortez received “an impermissible gift” to attend the gala free of charge, despite tickets reportedly ranging from $35,000 to $50,000.
THE AMERICAN ACCOUNTABILITY FOUNDATION ON AOC VIOLATING HOUSE RULES:
“Specifically, 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,” the foundation said.
BACKGROUND:
- In September 2021, socialist AOC was under fire from Republicans and her own far-left base for Met Gala while wearing a custom gown that read “Tax the Rich,” which critics argued was hypocritical given the event caters to the wealthy and high-profile celebrities.
- Soon after the event, Republican congresswoman Michelle Steel took aim at Ocasio-Cortez, leading the charge on legislation that would require lawmakers to disclose their participation in charity events where the ticket value exceeded $1,000.
- “This is about transparency and holding officials accountable for the job they were elected to do. If Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was truly attending a multimillion-dollar event in her official capacity, she should have no problem sharing more details with the people she represents,” Steel said at the time.
- “Updating these House Ethics rules will require more accountability from your representatives, and that’s something we can all support,” the Congresswoman continued.
