The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) said Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York may have violated “standards of conduct” and “federal law” over “impermissible gifts” relating to her appearance at the 2021 Met Gala, according to a release by the House Ethics Committee.
“Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may have accepted impermissible gifts associated with her attendance at the Met Gala in 2021,” the OCE report said. “If Rep. Ocasio-Cortez accepted impermissible gifts, then she may have violated House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law.” (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez Touts ‘Working Class’ Background During Vogue Interview At Lavish Met Gala)
🚨BREAKING: The Office of Congressional Ethics has released a statement in which they say there is “substantial reason to believe” AOC “accepted impermissible associated with her attendance at the Met Gala in 2021” that violated “standards of conduct and federal law.” pic.twitter.com/cR215TfY6J
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 2, 2023
Ocasio-Cortez wore a dress with the words “Tax the Rich” on it during the ritzy gala in September 2021, drawing an ethics complaint accusing her of improperly accepting free tickets to the event, which reportedly start at $35,000. Members of the House of Representatives may accept gifts of either “nominal value” or from relatives and friends, but any gift over $250 requires written permission from the House Ethics Committee.
“While regrettable, this matter definitively does not rise to the level of a violation of House Rules or of federal law,” an attorney for Rep. Ocasio-Cortez wrote to the House Ethics Committee.
“Though no Ethics violation has been found, the Office of Congressional Ethics (“OCE”) did identify that there were delays in paying vendors for costs associated with the Congresswoman’s attendance at the Met Gala,” Ocasio-Cortez’s office said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The Congresswoman finds these delays unacceptable, and she has taken several steps to ensure nothing of this nature will happen again.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.