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Ethics Investigation Demanded By Watchdog Against Ocasio-Cortez

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s jaunt at the Met Gala this week was not only the height of hypocrisy, as she wore a dress that said “tax the rich” at an event where the ticket price was $30,000 per person, it may have been an ethics issue.

The American Accountability Foundation, a conservative watchdog group, has asked the Office of Congressional Ethics to “immediately open an investigation” into her appearance at the event, Fox News reported.

The representative was a “guest of the museum,” a spokesperson for the Met said.

Ocasio-Cortez defended her message on Twitter as she said “And before haters get wild flying off the handle, New York elected officials are routinely invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing and supporting the city’s cultural institutions for the public. I was one of several in attendance in this evening.”

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But that is not really the point that had people furious. She was still surrounded by millionaires and billionaires, hobnobbing with people she demands be taxed more.

The AAF’s complaint, obtained by Fox News, asks the Office of Congressional Ethics to “immediately open an investigation” into Ocasio-Cortez and whether she accepted an “impermissible gift” to attend the gala or violated any campaign finance laws.

“Without prompt investigation and enforcement of Congressional Rules, the American people are likely to lose faith in the ability of Congress to police its members,” the complaint says.

The complaint states that since Ocasio-Cortez described her attendance at the Met Gala as part of her official duties, the “receipt of the gift” must fall under either the widely attended event or charity event exemptions as defined by the House rules.

The AAF argues that the congresswoman’s invite fails on both exemptions, because the gala was not widely attended and because the invitations are overseen by Conde Nast, a for-profit company.

“We filed a formal complaint against AOC for her blatant ethics violations at the NYC Met Gala. Her $35,000 ticket and custom designer gown fail to meet any definition of ‘official duties,’ and warrant a full investigation into her attendance,” AAF said on Twitter.

As she attended the event she defended herself to The Washington Post, which also called her on the apparent hypocrisy.

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“I mean, I think I’m kind of at the point where no matter what I do, if I wake up in the morning, there’s going to be someone who has something to say about that,” she said.

Ana Navarro-Cárdenas, a frequent host of the ABC Daytime show “The View,” and an anti-Donald Trump “conservative,” that sides with Democrats more often than Republicans it appears, even criticized her.

“Not an @aoc hater. But come on, going to an event for super-rich with ‘tax the rich’ written on your ass, won’t change a thing,” she said. “It’s a stunt to justify her presence at an fancy shin-dig that doesn’t match her political persona. She still looks better that Kim K in the bat outfit.”

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In an Instagram post the representative said she thought about how she would be criticized for attending the event, “but honestly I and my body have been so heavily and relentlessly policed from all corners politically since the moment I won my election that it’s kind of become expected and normalized to me.”

“Ultimately the haters hated and the people who are thoughtful were thoughtful,” she said. “But we all had a conversation about Taxing the Rich in front of the very people who lobby against it. And punctured the 4th wall of excess and spectacle”.

Yes, it was so brave to wear a virtue-signaling liberal message in a room full of virtue-signaling liberals.

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