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New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has found herself in the red, owing thousands of dollars to a Black-owned, female-led accessories brand after breaching the House “Gift Rule.”
The violation stems from not paying the full market value for items she donned at the 2021 MET Gala, where she famously wore the “Tax the Rich” dress, and accepting free admission to the event for her fiancé, Riley Roberts.
Tickets to the Met Gala cost at least $30,000, the Associated Press reported. It is unclear whether Ocasio-Cortez purchased her own ticket.
The House Ethics Committee released its report on Friday, finding that although Ocasio-Cortez “proactively took steps” to comply with the Gift Rule in relation to her Met Gala appearance, she failed to fully comply.
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The committee found evidence suggesting that the designer, Brother Vellies, may have lowered costs in response to statements from Ocasio-Cortez’s staff, and that payments to vendors were significantly delayed, according to the report.
In several cases, payment did not occur until after the investigation was initiated, the committee noted.
The report also concluded that members of AOC’s staff were “overly reliant” on the vendors themselves to ensure her compliance with the Gift Rule, despite the vendors’ countervailing incentives to ensure she would be able to promote their goods and services.
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However, the committee said it did not conclude that the alleged underpayments had been “intentional,” instead placing the blame on a campaign staffer who handled payment discussions.
AOC herself blamed her staff while speaking with investigators in March 2023, saying she did not know of any unpaid expenses related to the dress she had worn and stylists who prepared her for the gala, Fox News Digital previously reported.
“I just never, ever, ever would have allowed that to happen, knowing what I have learned,” Ocasio-Cortez said at the time. “But I wasn’t privy to the invoices, wasn’t privy to the ones that had been sent.”
Based on its findings, the committee determined it would be appropriate for the Democrat to make additional payments from personal funds to compensate for the fair market value of certain expenses.
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No sanctions will be imposed, so long as she donates the $250 value of Roberts’ Met Gala meal to the Costume Institute and pays Brother Vellies an additional $2,733.28 for the fair market value of the accessories she received in connection with the gala.
After the committee receives confirmation that the payments were completed, it said it will consider the matter closed.
Ocasio-Cortez, the Costume Institute and Brother Vellies did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
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