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New York Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Ocasio-Cortez Must Pay Another $2,700 for Met Gala Dress
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a splash when she arrived at the 2021 Met Gala in a designer dress with 'Tax the Rich' emblazoned across the back. Four years later, she is still settling the bill. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat and leader of her party's progressive wing, personally paid about $1,000 to rent the dress and accessories. But in a report released on Friday, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee concluded her initial payment had fallen short of the fair market rate, violating House rules. While the committee found no reason to believe that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was trying to stiff the vendors, it wrote that 'it would be appropriate' for her to pay an additional $2,733.28 to cover what it determined was the full value of her outfit. The panel also urged the congresswoman to make a $250 donation to the Met's Costume Institute, the beneficiary of the star-studded annual gala, to cover the cost of a meal for her partner, Riley Roberts, who accompanied her. Once she did, the panel would close the yearslong investigation, it said. 'While the committee did not find that Representative Ocasio-Cortez's violations were knowing and willful, she nonetheless received impermissible gifts and must bear responsibility for the other conduct that occurred with respect to the delays in payment,' the 31-page report said. Mike Casca, the congresswoman's chief of staff, stressed that the committee noted she had tried to comply with House rules. Still, he said she would personally take responsibility for the outstanding balance. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
AOC hit with $3K bill for splashy 'Tax the Rich' dress at 2021 Met Gala appearance
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been asked by a congressional ethics panel to repay costs associated with her Met Gala appearance where she wore a white and red 'Tax the Rich' dress. The House Ethics Committee released a sprawling 26-page report into AOC's lavish trip and recommended she pay $3,000. Once she does the probe will be considered finished. The congresswoman's office did not respond to a request for comment. Longtime Vogue boss Anna Wintour invited the young Democrat and her then-fiancé as a guests to the Met Gala in 2021 and ordered a designer to 'dress AOC for the Met.' White with bright red lettering, AOC's 'Tax the Rich' dress certainly stirred reports at the time. That same dress, along with some some accessories from designer Brother Vellies, should've cost the progressive over $3,700 in rental fees, the report found. Her team only paid $990 for the dress, shoes, jewelry, handbag, floral headpiece, according to the committee. It claimed that the fair market rental price of the dress was just under $3,000, but AOC's team only paid $300. The tickets to attend the event that year costed $35,000 each. 'While the Committee did not find that Representative Ocasio-Cortez's violations were knowing and willful, she nonetheless received impermissible gifts and must bear responsibility for the other conduct that occurred with respect to the delays in payment,' the report states. If Ocasio-Cortez declines to pay the bill requested, the committee could recommend a range of disciplinary actions from additional fines to a formal reprimand or censure. The 10-member ethics panel also concluded that AOC's 'conduct was inconsistent with House Rules, laws, and other standards of conduct.' Another point of tension over the visit was Ocasio-Cortez filing her then-fiancé as a spouse on House disclosures. The ethics panel won't seek any further action against AOC if she pays $2,733 for the fair market price of her rentals and dishes out $250 for her former partner's ticket. The progressive 'Squad' leader was previously ordered to pay back costs for her dress rental and other accessories in 2022. Staffing issues were called out by the committee investigators. They found that Ocasio-Cortez's staff was 'overly reliant on the vendors themselves to ensure the congresswoman's compliance with the Gift Rule.' At least one of the staffers that were involved with the misfilings have left the Democrat's office. The lawmakers reported that AOC's staff and counsel did attempt to 'keep costs down' and that the designers agreed. 'Committee did find evidence suggesting that the designer may have lowered costs in response to statements from Representative Ocasio-Cortez's staff, and that payments to vendors were significantly delayed and, in several cases, did not occur until after OCC (Ethics) initiated its investigation.'
The Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
House ethics panel tells AOC to make more payments over her Met Gala ‘Tax the Rich' outfit
The House Ethics Committee has told Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, to make more payments over her Met Gala 'Tax the Rich' outfit. While the Met Gala is always an eye-catching affair, in September 2021, Ocasio-Cortez stunned onlookers with a Brother Vellies custom white mermaid gown that had the words 'Tax the Rich' written in red on the back. At the time, the congresswoman explained on Instagram she wanted to bring attention to the idea of raising taxes for the wealthiest Americans by doing so 'in front of the very people who lobby against it,' per the Daily News. The event cost $35,000 per person at that time, The New York Times reported. For years, the ethics panel has been investigating Ocasio-Cortez's attendance at the 2021 Met Gala, and now it says she must make additional payments worth nearly $3,000 in relation to the event. The panel released a report Friday stating the estimated rental cost the congresswoman had paid for the dress and some of her accessories in 2022 was below fair market value. 'The Committee found that she failed to fully comply with the Gift Rule by impermissibly accepting a gift of free admission to the 2021 Met Gala for her partner [Riley Roberts] and by failing to pay full fair market value for some of the items worn to the event,' the report read. But the panel did not find evidence Ocasio-Cortez 'intentionally underpaid for any goods or services' related to the gala. 'In many instances, the congresswoman relied on the advice of counsel in determining appropriate payment amounts, and most discussions about payment were handled through a campaign staffer,' the report read. Ocasio-Cortez previously paid just shy of $1,000 for her Met Gala outfit, but the panel found its fair market value to be worth more than $3,700. The panel said the congresswoman did make 'significant steps' to comply with House gift rules and advised her to pay an additional $2,733.28 to settle the matter. The congresswoman was also advised to donate $250 to the Met's Costume Institute for the cost of Roberts' meal at the 2021 gala. Mike Casca, Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff, said in a statement obtained by The Hill, 'The Congresswoman appreciates the Committee finding that she made efforts to ensure her compliance with House Rules and sought to act consistently with her ethical requirements as a Member of the House.' 'She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she's done at each step in this process,' Casca added.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
House ethics panel tells Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to pay more for Met Gala attendance
Congress Ethics WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics Committee on Friday told Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to make additional payments for her attendance at the 2021 Met Fashion Gala, where she drew attention for wearing a dress adorned with the message 'tax the rich." The ethics panel, which found the New York Democrat had underpaid for some of the services and clothing for the event, also issued reports Friday on unrelated ethics allegations against Reps. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick or Florida and Henry Cuellar of Texas. In a 31-page report on the allegations against Ocasio-Cortez, the Ethics Committee said she had tried to comply with House rules on accepting gifts but failed by 'impermissibly accepting a gift of free admission to the 2021 Met Gala for her partner and by failing to pay full fair market value for some of the items worn to the event.' As a guest of Vogue, Ocasio-Cortez and her partner received tickets to the gala valued at $35,000, as well as customized clothing, hair and makeup styling and a hotel room to prepare for the high-society event. The congresswoman worked with an attorney to comply with House ethics rules and paid for most of the goods and services with personal funds, but the ethics panel found "the payments were significantly delayed and some payments fell short of fair market value.' In a statement, Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff, Mike Casca, said: 'The Congresswoman appreciates the Committee finding that she made efforts to ensure her compliance with House Rules and sought to act consistently with her ethical requirements as a Member of the House. She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she's done at each step in this process.' Rep. Mike Kelly The House Ethics Committee issued a formal reproval Friday of Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., following a yearslong investigation into an insider-trading allegation over his wife's purchase of stock in a steel company in his Butler-area congressional district. The panel also said Kelly and his wife, Victoria Kelly, should divest of any stock in the company, Cleveland-Cliffs, before the congressman takes any further official actions related to it. While the committee said it 'did not find evidence' that Kelly 'knowingly or intentionally caused his spouse to trade based on insider information,' its report also said it 'did not receive full cooperation from Mrs. Kelly and was therefore unable to determine whether her stock purchase was improper.' However, the report said, 'Representative Kelly's failure to acknowledge the seriousness of the alleged misconduct' and of the investigation itself was a violation of the code of official conduct. The committee did 'not find a clear violation' of conflict of interest. The congressman said in a statement Friday, 'My family and I look forward to putting this distraction behind us." Kelly noted the investigation has 'unnecessarily' lasted for nearly five years, and in the time since the Cleveland Cliffs Butler Works plant faced an uncertain future. 'Throughout this process, I have fought for the 1,400 workers at the plant, I've spoken with these workers, and they appreciate the hard work we have done to fight for those jobs and for Butler,' Kelly said. The investigation was launched after a July 2021 referral regarding allegations the congressman's wife may have purchased stock based on confidential or nonpublic information he had learned during official duties. The Ethics Committee staff reviewed more than 25,000 pages of documents, the report said, and interviewed people including the congressman. It found Kelly had advocated for so-called Section 232 tariffs for the product the plant produced even after Mrs. Kelly held stock in Cleveland-Cliffs. 'He took several actions to specifically benefit Cleveland-Cliffs during the time his wife had a direct financial interest in the company,' it said. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick The House Ethics Committee announced Friday it had unanimously voted to reauthorize an investigative subcommittee to examine allegations involving Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. In May, the Office of Congressional Ethics referred several allegations to the House Ethics committee, including claims Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat, accepted campaign contributions tied to official actions and requested community project funding for a for-profit entity. The south Florida congresswoman has previously faced scrutiny over her campaign activities and the use of her congressional office. And earlier this year, a Florida state agency sued a company owned by her family, alleging it overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for pandemic-related work and has refused to return the funds. In a statement, Cherfilus-McCormick underscored that the ethics panel had not reached any final decision and that the further review does not mean she made any violations. 'I fully respect the process and remain committed to cooperating with the Committee as it works to bring this inquiry to a close,' she said. Rep. Henry Cuellar The House Ethics Committee also reauthorized its investigation into Rep. Henry Cuellar over whether he engaged in multiple illegal abuses of his office. The committee launched its investigation into the Texas Democrat last year after the Justice Department indicted Cuellar on numerous federal charges, including bribery, conspiracy and money laundering. The committee said in its reauthorization that lawmakers are 'aware of the risks associated with dual investigations' and cautioned that 'the mere fact of an investigation into these allegations does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.' Cuellar's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ___ Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti and Matt Brown contributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
AOC's on the hook for $2,983.28 after the House Ethics panel closed its probe into her Met Gala appearance
The House Ethics Committee closed its probe into Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. The panel found that the congresswoman "impermissibly accepted gifts." They asked her to pay nearly $3,000 of her own money in order to close the matter. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's appearance at the 2021 Met Gala ended up being more expensive for her than she might've thought. The House Ethics Committee on Friday closed its yearslong probe into the New York congresswoman and whether she accepted improper gifts in connection with her attendance at the high-profile event, where she wore a white dress emblazoned with the phrase "Tax the Rich." In a 31-page report, the panel said that Ocasio-Cortez had "impermissibly accepted gifts" and said that in order for the matter to be closed, she would need to pay nearly $3,000 in personal funds. That includes $250 to cover the attendance of her fiancé, Riley Roberts, and an additional $2,733.28 payment to Brother Vellies, the business that designed her dress. Her chief of staff, Mike Casca, told BI in a statement that she would make those payments. "The Congresswoman appreciates the Committee finding that she made efforts to ensure her compliance with House Rules and sought to act consistently with her ethical requirements as a Member of the House," Casca said. "She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she's done at each step in this process." The committee said that Ocasio-Cortez had taken proactive steps to comply with House Ethics rules, which include strict guidelines around accepting gifts. She nonetheless fell short, though the committee said it had no evidence that she "intentionally underpaid for any goods or services received in connection with the Met Gala." The report said that the congresswoman's attempts to comply with the gift rules included arranging to rent the dress and accessories that she was provided with and to pay for other services out of pocket, which are usually provided to Met Gala guests for free. However, the committee said that her fiancé's attendance was an impermissible gift because he is not yet her spouse, and that she initially failed to pay the full fair market value for some of the items she wore. According to the report, Ocasio-Cortez and Roberts have already paid a total of $6,853.75 for various services they received that night, including transportation, clothing rental, and rooms at the Carlyle Hotel.
