AOC Under Investigation by House Ethics Committee
Remember back when Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showed up to the New York Met Gala wearing her “Tax the Rich” dress? Well, it looks like that night may be coming back to bite her in the butt now.
According to Forbes, AOC is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
From what we can tell, two complaints were filed alleging that Ocasio-Cortez violated rules by accepting free tickets to an event. The first complaint claimed that the tickets were provided by a for-profit company and should not have been accepted. The second complaint alleged that the dress Ocasio-Cortez wore to the event, which featured the words “Tax the Rich,” constituted accepting a gift that was related to her position as a Member of the House. The Washington Free Beacon reported that Ocasio-Cortez did not disclose receiving any gifts in 2021 aside from a $3,000 engagement ring.
The statement, which did not provide many details about the inquiry, said that the panel will announce its course of action after its organizational meeting in the next Congress, sometime in 2023.
A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez said that she was confident that the case would be dismissed. “The Congresswoman has always taken ethics incredibly seriously, refusing any donations from lobbyists, corporations, or other special interests,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics forwarded its inquiry into Ocasio-Cortez to the House ethics panel in June, according to the report. Typically, when that office forwards an investigation, it is because the office has reason to believe an ethics law was broken. Wednesday’s statement, attributed to acting Chair Susan Wild (D-Penns.) and Ranking Member Michael Guest (R-Miss.), says the disclosure of the investigation “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the committee.”
Let’s hope that something sticks this time.