OAN Geraldyn Berry
UPDATED 5:59 PM PT – Thursday, March 2, 2023
A congressional investigator has expanded their investigation into Representative Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez’s after the Office of House Ethics determined that her 2021 Met Gala dress may have been an inappropriate gift.
The Democrat had received an invitation from Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, to attend the 2021 Met Gala. She attended the event at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art wearing a Brother Vellies’ white dress with the phrase “Tax the Rich” written in large red letters on the backside.
Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is said to have accepted “impermissible gifts linked with her attendance at the Met Gala in 2021” as well as “received a series of goods and services which she did not pay for,” which may have been against House rules, federal law, and standards of conduct, according to a report from the Office of Congressional Ethics.
“In 2021, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was invited to and attended the Met Gala with Mr. Roberts. As part of her attendance, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was provided with a couture dress, handbag, shoes, and jewelry. She also received hair, makeup, transportation, and ready-room services. Riley Roberts received a bowtie and shoes in advance of the event,” the report states. “While Rep. Ocasio-Cortez appears to have now paid for the rental value of the attire she wore to the Met Gala and for the goods and services she and her partner received in connection with this September 2021 event, payment for these goods and services did not occur until after the OCE contacted her in connection with this review.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s counsel, David Mitrani, responded to the ethics review.
“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. The Congresswoman finds these delays unacceptable, and she has taken several steps to ensure nothing of this nature will ever happen again,” Mitrani said.
