2nd ethics slap at AOC over gala
Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez was hit Thursday with another ethics complaint over her attendance at Monday night’s Met Gala, with a second conservative watchdog group claiming she violated House rules on accepting gifts.
The complaint by the National Legal and Policy Center to the Office of Congressional Ethics alleges that OcasioCortez improperly accepted $35,000 tickets for herself and her boyfriend.
House rules allow members to accept free tickets to charity events directly from event organizers, and The Post reported Tuesday that AOC and her boyfriend, Riley Roberts, were invited by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
But the NLPC argued that “it is the table sponsor who is gifting or underwriting a coveted seat to AOC at the Gala.”
“And if . . . the table where AOC sat was one paid for by one of [the] corporations attending the event, such as Instagram or Facebook, AOC has received a prohibited gift from the corporation that also lobbies Congress.”
The complaint further alleges that the borrowed white Brother Vellies gown worn by AOC — which featured the words “Tax The Rich” on the back in big red letters — constituted an impermissible gift because it was “directly related to AOC’s ‘position with the House’ as a highly visible and controversial Member.”
“If AOC had not been a Member, she would not have been invited to the Gala,” the document reads, “and even if she would have been invited as a private citizen, the designer would not have made a special dress for her to wear.”
The NLPC also claimed that the Bronx/Queens Democrat “may have violated” House rules by accepting “related gifts before, during, or after the event, including . . . limousine service, the use of the Carlyle Hotel, professional hair and makeup services, and any other related services or goods.”
The Office of Congressional Ethics can refer complaints to the House Ethics Committee for further review.
The conservative American Accountability Foundation was the first to file an ethics complaint Tuesday, with its founder, Thomas Jones, alleging that while the event was hosted by the Met, “the Museum has ceded control over the invitations to a for-profit company, specifically Condé Nast, and to its Chief Content Officer, Anna Wintour.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) proposed the Greater Accountability from Lawmakers for Americans (GALA) Act, which would require lawmakers to disclose their participation in charity events where the ticket value exceeds $1,000.