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AOC RIPPED AMAZON DEAL, BUT BOUGHT $9G FROM BIZ
Apparently AOC stands for Amazon Online Customer.
Before freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrated scaring away the online retail giant, she spent thousands on the site.
The democratic socialist’s campaign spent nearly $9,000 on Amazon last year over a six-month period — including nearly $300 in chalk.
Last week, Ocasio-Cortez applauded local politicians and advocates for Amazon’s decision to pull out of its plans to build a second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens.
“Today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world,” she tweeted as the deal was canned.
The 29-year-old progressive politician was one of the most vocal critics of the big-bucks deal to bring the company to Queens. She and other opponents focused their ire on the $3 billion in state and city incentives used to lure the e-commerce giant to the Big Apple, along with its anti-union track record.
However, AOC, as she’s known by fans, had no qualms about dropping thousands on office supplies and other goods as she unseated former Rep. Joe Crowley.
Federal Election Commission records show OcasioCortez’s campaign used Amazon’s services at least 68 times between April and October last year. The charges range from a few dollars for “supplies” to $924 for “used chrome books for staff & volunteer use.”
Most of the bills are dated after Ocasio-Cortez’s defeat of Crowley in the Democratic primary, essentially guaranteeing her a seat in Congress. Details are not available for most of the charges listed as “supplies.” The Amazon shopping spree by the Bronxborn congresswoman’s campaign is less than a fraction of the $1.7 million spent overall.
A conservative group cast blame for Amazon scrapping its plans to build a Queens facility on Ocasio-Cortez Wednesday with a Times Square billboard blasting the pol.
“Thanks For Nothing, AOC!” reads the sign put up on the corner of 42nd St. and Eighth Ave. by Job Creators Network, a conservative advocacy group with close ties to the powerful Mercer family.
The billboard claims the “Amazon pullout” resulted in $4 billion in lost wages, 25,000 lost jobs and $12 billion in “lost economic activity” for the five boroughs.
Ocasio-Cortez’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.