'Tax the Rich': AOC flouted House Rules in 2021 Met Gala, accepted gifts, gave boyfriend free ticket
A House Ethics Committee found Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at fault for his much-discussed 2021 Met Gala appearance, where she wore her headline-making 'Tax the Rich' gown. The probe report released Friday revealed that AOC underpaid for costs and will now have to pay $3,000 for her 2021 Met Gala appearance.
The 10-member committee, comprising five Democrats and five Republicans, concluded that Ocasio-Cortez paid under fair market value for clothing and accessories. It also determined that her partner, Riley Roberts, who is now her fiancé, was not covered under House rules, which at the time only let spouses and dependent children receive free tickets to charitable events.
The committee said it will not issue any sanction against Ocasio-Cortez as long as she pays $2,733 to vendors for the additional value of her clothes and donates $250 for Riley's ticket.
AOC's team only paid $990.76 for her glamorous appearance including renting the Brother Vellies couture dress designed by Aurora James, as well as luxury shoes, jewelry, a floral hairpiece and handbag. The fair market value is around $3,724,04
Mike Casca, AOC's chief of staff, said in a statement: 'The Congresswoman appreciates the Committee finding that she made efforts to ensure her compliance with House Rules and sought to act consistently with her ethical requirements as a Member of the House.
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She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she's done at each step in this process.'
The investigation into who paid AOC for her and her boyfriend's Met Gala appearance began in 2022 and her campaign eventually paid for all the costs.
Ethics rules prevent members of Congress from accepting gifts such as 'a gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, forbearance, or other item having monetary value.' They are permitted to attend charity events, but only if invited by the organization hosting the event. The investigation earlier found out that OAC and her partne were originally invited to the $35,000-per-ticket event as guests of Vogue, and not by the Metropolitan Museum of Art itself.
But because Vogue, and its longtime editorial director, Anna Wintour, are deeply involved in organizing the event, the investigators found the invitation permissible.
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