(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) The office of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez, D-N.Y., issued a statement reacting to the announcement that she is under congressional investigation by the House Ethics Committee for attending the 2021 Met Gala.
“The Congresswoman has always taken ethics incredibly seriously, refusing any donations from lobbyists, corporations, or other special interests,” Ocasio–Cortez’s office claimed in a statement. “We are confident that this matter will be dismissed.”
According to the Daily Wire, the Ethics Committee received a complaint about AOC’s attendance and attire at the gala and are looking into whether or not they were gifted to the representative or if she purchased them herself.
“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,” the committee said in a statement.
The two complaints raised against Ocasio–Cortez both concerned the Met Gala.
One claimed that it was in violation of House rules for AOC to accept free tickets to the Gala. The House specifies that its members are only allowed to accept gifts to charity events if the tickets are provided by the organizers.
The group that filed a complaint against AOC stated that she should not be allowed to accept the tickets—which usually cost $30,000 apiece—because “invitations are controlled by a for-profit company.”
The second complaint was regarding the dress Ocacio–Cortez wore to the event, which featured giant red letters stating “Tax the Rich.”
The complaint alleges that in accepting the dress, AOC was in violation of the rules because it was “directly related to AOC’s ‘position with the House’ as a highly visible and controversial member.”
Ocasio–Cortez must report any gifts she accepts as a public figure. She did not report either the tickets or the dress for the 2021 event.
The report from the committee added that Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., is also under investigation for using her government connections to procure tickets to the 2022 Met Gala.
“If they’re going after Representative Carolyn Maloney for her soliciting a free ticket to the gala, worth $30,000, surely AOC is a target for more scrutiny,” said Paul Kamenar, an attorney for the National Legal and Policy Center.
