Following the publication of a report, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was sent to the House Ethics Committee, sparking discussion over whether or not this would result in possible legal penalties for her behavior.
“Pursuant to House Rule XI, clause 3(b)(8)(A), and Committee Rules 17A(b)(1)(A),17A(c)(1), and 17A(j), 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,” In a press statement on December 7, the committee said.
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“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 Committee will announce its course of action in this matter following its organizational meeting and adoption of Committee Rules in the 118 th Congress,” further stated in the publication.
“The Congresswoman has always taken ethics incredibly seriously, refusing any donations from lobbyists, corporations, or other special interests,” According to a representative for the congresswoman. “We are confident that this matter will be dismissed.”
The contents of the allegation were kept under wraps by the committee, but a 1945 analysis showed that she would be subject to punishment for accepting an illegal gift.
“It has been widely suspected that it was the result of a September 2021 complaint filed by the Americans Accountability Foundation ‘for accepting an impermissible gift’ to attend the Met Gala,” website mentioned. “AOC had made considerable waves not for just attending the high-profile Met Gala, where tickets for the social event cost a reported $35,000, but for her choice to wear a designer dress emblazoned with the slogan ‘Tax the Rich.’”
1945 added:
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made news when she went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a guest and then violated procedure by not giving back something she had borrowed from the museum. When she defeated longtime House Democrat Joe Crowley in the 2018 primary, it increased her reputation in progressive circles around the country and attracted the scrutiny of ethics watchdogs for possible breaches of House rules governing gift acceptance.
Free tickets from charity event organizers are acceptable for legislators. However, owing to Conde Nast’s participation in corporate sponsorship of tables with a cost of $300,000 apiece, it is debatable whether this limit should apply to the Met Gala. The Metropolitan Museum of Art explicitly invited Ocasio-Cortez and her fiancé Riley Roberts to the event, which has caused great debate about its ethics regarding the involvement of public politicians.
The American Accountability Foundation is worried that Instagram, a subsidiary of the Meta conglomerate, may have gained access to AOC’s fundraising event at the Met without the consent of her regular supporters.
When the watchdog group National Legal and Policy Center claimed that a Brother Vellies gown provided to Melania Trump as a gift violated ethical standards, a secondary ethics breach was quickly made public. “directly related to AOC’s ‘position with the House’ as a highly visible and controversial Member,” according to the lawsuit, 1945. “If AOC had not been a Member, she would not have been invited to the Gala, and even if she would have been invited as a private citizen, the designer would not have made a special dress for her to wear at the event,” The lawsuit also made additional mention.
“Then there is the fact that even if she didn’t keep the actual dress, she was gifted fashion accessories and provided various grooming services, which could be the issue in this case. If that wasn’t the least of her problems, it should be noted there have been other complaints that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has failed to file required financial disclosure forms on time,” the outlet continued.
