AOC is hit with SECOND ethics complaint over $35k-a-head ticket to the Met Gala - and for wearing that 'Tax the Rich' dress
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been hit with a second ethics complaint after she accepted a free $35,000 ticket for her Met Gala appearance on Monday night.
Ocasio-Cortez, 31, has been accused of possibly violating the House Gift rule for accepting lavish gifts, including her controversial 'Tax the Rich' dress and a stay at the luxury Carlyle Hotel on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
The complaint, which was filed by Paul Kamenar of the National Legal and Policy Center, to the Office of Congressional Ethics on Thursday, was obtained by Daily Caller News Foundation.
'Representative Ocasio-Cortez may have violated the House Gift Rule by accepting free admission for herself and boyfriend to the Met Gala event and receiving related gifts before, during, or after the event, including the use of custom-designed dress, limousine service, the use of the Carlyle Hotel, professional hair and makeup services, and any other related services or goods,' the NLPC complaint stated.
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a second complaint filed against her by the National Legal and Policy Center on Thursday
The complaints come after she allegedly broke the House Gift rule as she accepted lavish gifts including a free ticket to the Met Gala and and the controversial 'Tax the Rich' dress she wore to the event
The complaint filed states: 'Representative Ocasio-Cortez may have violated the House Gift Rule by accepting free admission for herself and boyfriend to the Met Gala event and receiving related gifts before, during, or after the event, including the use of custom-designed dress, limousine service, the use of the Carlyle Hotel, professional hair and makeup services, and any other related services or goods'
The complaint criticized her acceptance of a seat at a sponsored table that costs between $200,000 and $300,000.
'In short, it is the table sponsor who is gifting or underwriting a coveted seat to AOC at the Gala,' the complaint states.
'And if the sponsor of 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 also criticized AOC for bringing boyfriend Riley Roberts to the event as the House states that the second free ticket, if given, must be given to charity, spouse, or child.
'Thus, because her boyfriend is not her 'spouse or dependent,' her acceptance of an 'invite plus one' to the Met Gala would violate the Gift Rule unless AOC or her boyfriend paid for his $35,000 ticket, an unlikely scenario,' the complaint said.
Ocasio-Cortez defended her attendance at the Met Gala after receiving criticism for it as political figures are not routinely invited to the event, as stated in the complaint
The complaint was filed by NLPC Counsel Paul Kamenar, who criticized Ocasio Cortez's acceptance of the free ticket alongside her boyfriend, sitting at a sponsored table, and wearing the controversial 'Tax the Rich' dress
The value of the dress has not been determined as dress designer Aurora Jones told CNN that the she had not calculated the cost but said that lots of salvaged material was used to make it, according to the complaint.
Despite being a personal friend, gifts can only be given in this relationship if it is 'not related to the position of your house.'
In defense of her attendance, AOC tweeted: '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.'
It was noted that political figures are not often routinely invited to Met Gala events.
This complaint comes after another one was filed by The American Accountability Foundation for accepting 'an impermissible gift' of free tickets to attend the annual gala.
'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 said, filed by AAF founder Thomas Jones.
He also wrote: '[W]hile the individual's invitations may bear the name of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum has ceded control over the invitations to a for-profit company, specifically Condé Nast, and to its Chief Content Officer, Anna Wintour.'
He added that 'the New York Times outlines that the Met does not have control over who is invited to the event, but rather the for-profit company, is in control of who gets invited.'
No comments