The House Committee on Ethics announced Wednesday that Queens Congress member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a member of the notorious anti-Israel “Squad” of lawmakers, is under investigation but did not reveal the reason for the probe.
“The Acting Chairwoman and Acting Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics have jointly decided to extend the matter regarding Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which was transmitted to the Committee by the Office of Congressional Ethics on June 23, 2022,” the House body said in its announcement.
A spokesperson for the Ethics Committee declined to comment in response to a query from The Washington Examiner.
But the committee also noted that the “mere fact” of a referral or extension – and its mandatory disclosure – “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred or reflect any judgement on behalf of the Committee.”
The committee added that it would announce a decision “following its organizational meeting and adoption of Committee Rules in the 118th Congress,” meaning no announcement on a course of action is expected until the new year.
Last year, an ethics complaint was filed against “AOC’ over her attendance at the Met Gala in New York, alleging she broke House rules by accepting free tickets to the event. One ticket to the annual Met Gala costs at least $30,000, according to The Associated Press.
At the event, the Congress member wore a white dress with “Tax The Rich” in red lettering, prompting a second complaint filed by the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), alleging she improperly accepted tickets to the gala for herself and her boyfriend from a table sponsor. The watchdog group said that although Congress members are allowed to accept free tickets to charity events directly from the organizers, AOC received her tickets for the table sponsor “who is gifting or underwriting a coveted seat” to the lawmaker.
If that table was paid for by a corporation such as Instagram or Facebook, the NLPC said AOC would have received a prohibited gift from a corporation that also lobbies Congress.
A spokesperson for AOC said Ocasio-Cortez “has always taken ethics incredibly seriously, refusing any donations from lobbyists, corporations or other special interests,” Forbes reported.
