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'Tax the Rich' dress at center of ethics probe into Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
By
Verónica Del Valle
and
David Cruz
Published Mar 3, 2023
Modified Mar 3, 2023
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Photo by Ray Tamarra/GC Images
By
Verónica Del Valle
and
David Cruz
Published Mar 3, 2023
Modified Mar 3, 2023
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegedly accepting impermissible gifts as part of her Met Gala attendance in 2021 in which she wore her now-famous “Tax the Rich” dress, according to a report made public on Thursday.
The committee announced the probe late last year, but did not specify what it was looking into. The revelations came on the same day the ethics committee announced an investigation into Republican Rep. George Santos for allegedly violating federal conflict of interest laws and engaging in "sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office."
Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, received a handbag, shoes, jewelry, hair-styling services and her "Tax the Rich" dress as part of her gala attendance, according to a report by the Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics. House rules forbid members from accepting gifts.
Ocasio-Cortez, who had retained a lawyer to ensure House rules were followed in the lead-up to the event, has now paid for the items she and her now-fiancé received. But the report stated she didn't pay for the items until months after the investigation began early last year. Vendors by then had repeatedly reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign office for payment, but did not get a response, according to the report.
Ocasio-Cortez said “there was a ball that was dropped” over payment delays and called the situation “deeply regrettable,” the report states.
The board recommended the ethics committee interview vendors who had not cooperated with the initial probe.
Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez, said in a statement that Ocasio-Cortez found the delays "unacceptable" and has taken "several steps to ensure nothing of this nature will happen again."
“However, while regrettable, these delayed payments definitively do not rise to the level of a violation of House rules. Even after OCE’s exhaustive review of the congresswoman’s personal communications, there is no record of the congresswoman refusing to pay for these expenses," Hitt said. "To the contrary, there are several explicit, documented communications, from prior to OCE’s review, that show the congresswoman understood that she had to pay for these expenses from her own personal funds – as she ultimately did."
She added, "We are confident the ethics committee will dismiss this matter.”
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Verónica Del Valle
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David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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