AOC Will Pay $3,000 For Ethics Violations Over Met Gala Appearance
A yearslong probe found Ocasio-Cortez 'impermissibly' accepted gifts for the event, including a ... More white dress with the phrase, 'Tax the Rich.' GC Images
The bipartisan Ethics Committee found Ocasio-Cortez 'impermissibly' accepted a gift of free admission to the Met Gala for her now-fiancé Riley Roberts, valued at about $35,000, and failed to pay the full market price for some of the items she wore to the event, though a probe found she did not intentionally violate ethics rules.
An investigation found Ocasio-Cortez coordinated with Met Gala staff to ensure she would not violate House rules, which the staff confirmed, and that Ocasio-Cortez was offered a guest ticket to attend, the committee said.
Ocasio-Cortez paid just over $990 for the dress, shoes, handbag and jewelry she wore to the event, and must pay the remaining $2,733 to cover the fair market price of the items and settle the claims, according to the committee, in addition to $250—the price of a meal at the Met—to cover Roberts' attendance.
Mike Casca, Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff, said in a statement she 'accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she's done at each step in this process.'
An early inquiry found designer Brother Vellies originally billed Ocasio-Cortez $1,300 for her 'Tax the Rich dress,' and a later invoice requested $300. It's not immediately clear why the price tag was reduced, though a former campaign staffer for Ocasio-Cortez told the Ethics Committee they discussed her complete attire totaling about $1,000. Key Background
The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into Ocasio-Cortez's Met Gala appearance in December 2022, months after the American Accountability Foundation filed an ethics complaint. Experts told Forbes at the time that Ocasio-Cortez's acknowledging she wore 'borrowed items' to the event indicated she violated House gift rules, which prevent lawmakers from accepting gifts like free attendance to events and travel. In an Instagram post, Ocasio-Cortez defended attending the Met Gala for free, arguing elected officials in New York City are 'regularly invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities' overseeing the city's cultural institutions. Forbes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Likely Violated Ethics Laws With Met Gala Appearance, Says House Ethics Office By Zach Everson
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Vice President JD Vance is on the road again to sell the Republicans' big new tax law
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Vice President JD Vance is hitting his home state on Monday to continue promoting the GOP's sweeping tax-and-border bill. He will be in Canton, Ohio, to talk about the bill's 'benefits for hardworking American families and businesses,' according to his office. Aides offered little detail in advance about the visit, but NBC News reported that his remarks will take place at a steel plant in Canton, located about 60 miles south of Cleveland. The visit marks Vance's second trip this month to sell the package, filled with a hodgepodge of conservative priorities that Republicans have dubbed the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' as the vice president becomes its chief promoter on the road. In West Pittston, Pennsylvania, Vance told attendees at an industrial machine shop that they should be able to keep more of their pay in their pockets, highlighting the law's new tax deductions on overtime. Vance also discussed a new children's savings program called Trump Accounts and how the new law promotes energy extraction, while decrying Democrats for opposing the bill that keeps the current tax rates, which would have otherwise expired later this year. The legislation cleared the GOP-controlled Congress by the narrowest of margins, with Vance breaking a tie vote in the Senate for the package that also sets aside hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump's immigration agenda while slashing Medicaid and food stamps. The vice president is also stepping up his public relations blitz on the bill as the White House tries to deflect attention away from the growing controversy over Jeffrey Epstein. The disgraced financier killed himself, authorities say, in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein's death before Trump returned to the White House and are now reckoning with the consequences of a Justice Department announcement earlier this month that Epstein did indeed die by suicide and that no further documents about the case would be released. Questions about the case continued to dog Trump in Scotland, where he on Sunday announced a framework trade deal with the European Union. Asked about the timing of the trade announcement and the Epstein case and whether it was correlated, Trump responded: 'You got to be kidding with that." 'No, had nothing to do with it,' Trump told the reporter. 'Only you would think that." The White House sees the new law as a clear political boon, sending Vance to promote it in swing congressional districts that will determine whether Republicans retain their House majority next year. The northeastern Pennsylvania stop is in the district represented by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a first-term lawmaker who knocked off a six-time Democratic incumbent last fall. On Monday, Vance will be in the district of Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes, who is a top target for the National Republican Congressional Committee this cycle. Polls before the bill's passage showed that it largely remained unpopular, although the public approves of some individual provisions such as increasing the child tax credit and allowing workers to deduct more of their tips on taxes.
Associated Press
11 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Vice President JD Vance is on the road again to sell the Republicans' big new tax law
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Vice President JD Vance is hitting his home state on Monday to continue promoting the GOP's sweeping tax-and-border bill. He will be in Canton, Ohio, to talk about the bill's 'benefits for hardworking American families and businesses,' according to his office. Aides offered little detail in advance about the visit, but NBC News reported that his remarks will take place at a steel plant in Canton, located about 60 miles south of Cleveland. The visit marks Vance's second trip this month to sell the package, filled with a hodgepodge of conservative priorities that Republicans have dubbed the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' as the vice president becomes its chief promoter on the road. In West Pittston, Pennsylvania, Vance told attendees at an industrial machine shop that they should be able to keep more of their pay in their pockets, highlighting the law's new tax deductions on overtime. Vance also discussed a new children's savings program called Trump Accounts and how the new law promotes energy extraction, while decrying Democrats for opposing the bill that keeps the current tax rates, which would have otherwise expired later this year. The legislation cleared the GOP-controlled Congress by the narrowest of margins, with Vance breaking a tie vote in the Senate for the package that also sets aside hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump's immigration agenda while slashing Medicaid and food stamps. The vice president is also stepping up his public relations blitz on the bill as the White House tries to deflect attention away from the growing controversy over Jeffrey Epstein. The disgraced financier killed himself, authorities say, in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein's death before Trump returned to the White House and are now reckoning with the consequences of a Justice Department announcement earlier this month that Epstein did indeed die by suicide and that no further documents about the case would be released. Questions about the case continued to dog Trump in Scotland, where he on Sunday announced a framework trade deal with the European Union. Asked about the timing of the trade announcement and the Epstein case and whether it was correlated, Trump responded: 'You got to be kidding with that.' 'No, had nothing to do with it,' Trump told the reporter. 'Only you would think that.' The White House sees the new law as a clear political boon, sending Vance to promote it in swing congressional districts that will determine whether Republicans retain their House majority next year. The northeastern Pennsylvania stop is in the district represented by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a first-term lawmaker who knocked off a six-time Democratic incumbent last fall. On Monday, Vance will be in the district of Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes, who is a top target for the National Republican Congressional Committee this cycle. Polls before the bill's passage showed that it largely remained unpopular, although the public approves of some individual provisions such as increasing the child tax credit and allowing workers to deduct more of their tips on taxes.
Bloomberg
11 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Wins the Hulkamania Tariffs Brawl He Started
Save To get John Authers' newsletter delivered directly to your inbox, sign up here. In the week around the sad passing of the pro-wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, one of his most devoted fans, President Donald Trump, has been honoring his legacy. Wrestling is a staged performance, where the 'winners' often portray themselves as bullies. Trump is getting results from Hulkamania in the much tougher world of international trade.
