The House Ethics Committee released a report on Friday, finding that far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) impermissibly accepted more than $3,700 worth of apparel and accessories and a $35,000 ticket for her then-boyfriend, Riley Roberts.
“Despite Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s significant attempts, the Committee found that she failed to fully comply with the Gift Rule by impermissibly accepting a gift of free admission to the 2021 Met Gala for her partner and by failing to pay full fair market value for some of the items worn to the event,” the committee writes in the report that they unanimously voted to issue earlier this week following a years-long investigation.
It can be recalled that AOC made headlines back in 2021 when she sported a glitzy Brother Vellies dress adorned with the words “tax the rich.”
AOC Wears a High End Designer ‘Tax The Rich’ Dress to $30,000 Per Ticket Met Gala
The dress was valued at nearly $3,000, but AOC only paid 10% of that. She further wore nearly $1,000 worth of jewelry and accessories, but paid less than $1000 for the whole get-up.
While Americans were suffering through the second half of Biden’s first year in office, the self-described “Bronx girl” was partying it up with a free red carpet appearance and paying bottom dollar for her wardrobe.
The chart below shows the Committee’s estimates of fair market value for the outfit versus the nearly 75% discounted tag she paid.
“Representative Ocasio-Cortez ultimately paid for most of the goods and services received out of personal funds, although the payments were significantly delayed and some payments fell short of fair market value,” the report states, noting that “most payments occurred after OCC initiated its review.”
“In fact, most payments were not made until after repeated attempts at collection from unpaid vendors, threatened legal action, or following the initiation of OCC’s review.”
Regarding the $35,000 tickets she received, Congressmembers are allowed to accept an unsolicited offer of free attendance to charity events, but additional tickets are only permissible if intended for a spouse or dependent child.
However, the House Ethics Manual defines “spouse” as “someone to whom you are legally married,” and Mr. Roberts “did not fit the definition of a “spouse” for purposes of the Charitable Events Exception,” the Committee writes. They further accuse Occasio-Cortez and her counsel of “choosing which law to apply” after AOC’s counsel contemptuously highlighted her adherance to campaign finance laws, dismissing House rules and the Charitable Events Exception.
However, AOC will not face any consequences except for paying Brother Vellies back for the outfit and donating $250, the value of Riley Roberts’s meal, to the Costume Institute, which hosts the Met Gala each year.
She broke the law, but she’s also a Democrat.
“Although their efforts at valuation fell short, and efforts to make appropriate payment were delayed, the Committee nonetheless recognizes that those efforts occurred, and that Representative Ocasio-Cortez sought to act consistently with her ethical requirements as a Member of the House. In light of this, the Committee determined that no sanction was merited, provided Representative Ocasio-Cortez: (1) donates the $250 value of Mr. Roberts’ Met Gala meal to the Costume Institute and (2) pays Brother Vellies an additional $2,733.28 for the fair market value of the goods that she received in connection with her 2021 Met Gala attendance,” the report states.
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