Ocasio-Cortez Violates House Ethics Guidelines Over Met Gala Gifts

According to the House Ethics Committee, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York has breached House ethics rules by accepting more than $3,700 in rented clothing and gifts for her notable appearance at the 2021 Met Gala.

Included in these items was a high-fashion gown emblazoned with the phrase “Tax the Rich” in bold red, as well as a complimentary ticket for her then-boyfriend, Riley Roberts. Notably, Ocasio-Cortez only paid a fraction of the total value—less than $1,000 for everything.

A report released on Friday indicated that although she “proactively took steps” to adhere to the “Gift Rule” pertaining to her Gala appearance, she did not completely fulfill all of the requirements.

The committee also suggested that the designer, Brother Vellies—described as a Black-owned and female-led brand—may have modified the charges due to interactions from Ocasio-Cortez’s team, and there were significant delays in vendor payments, according to the findings.

Interestingly, the committee found that in past situations, payments were not processed until after the investigation was initiated. Additionally, some of Ocasio-Cortez’s staff appeared to depend too much on vendors to ensure compliance with the Gift Rule, which could have conflicted with the vendors’ efforts to promote their products.

However, the committee emphasized that they did not determine the alleged underpayments to be “intentional,” instead attributing the issue to a campaign staffer responsible for payment discussions. Ocasio-Cortez corroborated this perspective as well.

“I just never, ever, ever would have allowed that to happen, knowing what I have learned,” Ocasio-Cortez mentioned in an interview with investigators back in March 2023. “But I wasn’t privy to the invoices, wasn’t privy to the ones that had been sent.”

Following its findings, the committee ruled that it would be acceptable for Ocasio-Cortez to use her personal funds to make up for the fair market value of certain expenses.

Importantly, the report stated that no punitive measures would be enacted as long as she donated the $250 value of Roberts’ Met Gala meal to the Costume Institute and made an extra payment of $2,733.28 to Brother Vellies for the fair market value of the gala accessories.

The case will be concluded once the committee receives confirmation that these payments have been completed.