Andrew Kerr on September 16, 2021

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may have violated a myriad of House ethics rules for attending the ritzy Met Gala on Monday evening while wearing a “tax the rich” dress, a conservative watchdog group alleged in a complaint filed Thursday.
• “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 National Legal and Policy center stated in its complaint.
• The NLPC is the second conservative watchdog group to demand an ethics investigation into Ocasio-Cortez over her attendance at the Met Gala. 

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may have violated a myriad of House ethics rules for attending the ritzy Met Gala on Monday evening while wearing a “tax the rich” dress, a conservative watchdog group alleged in a complaint obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The watchdog group, National Legal and Policy Center, alleged in a complaint filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics on Thursday that Ocasio-Cortez’s acceptance of free tickets to the event, which reportedly run at $35,000 apiece, for both herself and her boyfriend violated House Gift Rules. The group also alleged that Ocasio-Cortez received a prohibited gift from a paid attendee of the Met Gala by sitting at a sponsored table during the event, which are reportedly valued at up to $300,000.

In addition, the watchdog group alleged that Ocasio-Cortez may have accepted prohibited in-kind gifts due to her use of her custom-designed “tax the rich” dress and other services and amenities.

“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,” stated the NLPC’s complaint, which was filed by the group’s counsel, Paul Kamenar.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the charity that receives the proceeds of the Met Gala, told the DCNF that Ocasio-Cortez and other elected officials that attended the Monday evening event were “guests of the Museum.”And Ocasio-Cortez said on Instagram after the event that she “borrowed” her dress from its designer, and that her attendance at the gala was in line with her “responsibilities in overseeing our city’s cultural institutions that serve the public.”

The NLPC is the second watchdog group to demand an ethics investigation into Ocasio-Cortez’s attendance at the Met Gala this week. (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez’s Attendance At Lavish Met Gala Draws Ethics Complaint)

Another conservative watchdog group, the American Accountability Foundation, filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics on Tuesday arguing that Ocasio-Cortez was not permitted to accept free tickets for the Met Gala because a for-profit company, Conde Nast, manages invitations to the charity event.

The NLPC added in its complaint filed Thursday Ocasio-Cortez may have also violated gift rules by sitting at a sponsored table during the event.

“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 highlighted potential issues surrounding Ocasio-Cortez’s boyfriend, Riley Roberts, attending the Met Gala for free alongside the lawmaker, noting that the House Gift Rule permits lawmakers to only provide a second ticket to a charity fundraiser, their spouse or dependent 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 NLPC’s complaint states.

Ocasio-Cortez’s use of a custom “tax the rich” dress, even if borrowed only for the duration of the event, also violates the House Gift Rule because the dress designer had to devote “valuable professional services in designing and making this one-of-a-kind dress,” the NLPC stated in its complaint.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Ocasio-Cortez Hit With Second Ethics Complaint Over ‘Tax The Rich’ Met Gala Appearance appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

The Congresswoman from New York wore a white dress with the words “Tax the Rich” written in large red letters across the back.

Tickets for the Met Gala cost $30,000 per person with tables start at $200,000, according to The New York Post.

A reporter for NewsMax, Benny Johnson, also claimed that AOC’s choice of attire for the event had a price tag of $1,000.

AOC must think she is the progressive counterpart to outspoken conservative singer/model Joy Villa, who first gained national attention with her “Make America Great Again” dress that she wore to the Grammys in support of former President Donald Trump in 2017. Villa, I might add, has shown much more dignity and grace than AOC ever dreamed of.

The problem lies not in making a political statement at a big event like the Met gala. In fact, I do not think it is out of place for a sitting member of Congress to make a political statement.

The issue at hand is the blatant hypocrisy of AOC’s message. It’s highly ironic that a sitting congresswoman would attend an event that costs $30,000 and wear a $1,000 gown, and then have the audacity to talk about taxing the rich!

AOC, you are the rich! Do you think middle-class Americans have the kind of money to attend high-class balls, wearing clothes that cost thousands of dollars? Do you think they have the connections or money to rub shoulders with the who’s who of the entertainment industry?

What would you say to your constituents about your decision to attend the Met Gala when so many are likely scraping by just to make ends meet? You are not a woman of the people. If you really cared, you would be fighting in Congress to keep the American economy open and removing regulatory burdens placed on the American people instead of trying to be a Progressive Cinderella.

This behavior is all too typical of progressive politicians and they whine and complain about people they call “rich elitists” while refusing to acknowledge their own arrogance. People like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are no different than the kings and queens of old who wined and dined, getting fat and living easy off of the backs of people who suffered in poverty.

In spite of the congresswoman’s decision to attend the Met Gala, it’s not out of line to ask about her abuela’s  home in Puerto Rico that she claimed was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria back in June. AOC blasted former President Donald Trump for blocking relief to the island in the aftermath of the hurricane. If the congresswoman can afford to be at an event as prestigious as the Met Gala, surely she can afford to at least help take care of her grandmother’s home repairs.

Unless of course, she doesn’t really care about her grandmother and was just using her as a political prop in an attempt to increase government spending. Perhaps it is old-fashioned of me to think that if you genuinely love someone, you should help them when they are in dire circumstances if you have the means to do so. I hope that AOC’s grandmother is in a much better state of living these days—especially since her granddaughter thinks it is appropriate to live the lifestyle of the rich and famous while claiming to serve the common people of New York.

If AOC lived according to her principles, she would be appalled at the idea of attending the Met Gala while so many of her fellow Americans are suffering as businesses struggle to get by or have closed
due to government restrictions under the guise of a pandemic.

Tyrants of the past and present would be proud of the progressive darling who is living up to the mantra, “Do as I say and not as I do!”

The post Tax Me: The Hypocrisy of AOC’s “Tax The Rich” Dress appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.