A New York Democratic representative faces legal troubles again, as a conservative foundation files a complaint accusing them of using campaign donations to reimburse themselves for thousands of dollars in undisclosed expenses.
New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is embroiled in legal issues once more, as the conservative Coolidge Reagan Foundation has filed a complaint accusing her of using campaign donations to reimburse herself for thousands of dollars in expenses that were never properly disclosed. According to the complaint, the congresswoman spent $9,600 on her re-election campaign using credit card expenditures, as reported by the Daily Caller.
The complaint highlights Ocasio-Cortez’s repeated violations of federal campaign finance law to conceal her campaign fund spending. Her authorized candidate committee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress (AOC for Congress), reportedly made numerous card payments and card payment reimbursements to the congresswoman herself, American Express, and an entity called ‘Veyond!’. The reports do not fully disclose the purposes of each payment, and the sum of the specific Memo Item entries is consistently less than the total amount paid to the recipient.
Earlier this month, a two-year federal investigation found that Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign failed to “properly” disclose some of its expenses. However, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) allowed her to escape unscathed. The FEC discovered that two political action committees, Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats, “did not properly disclose the purpose of the disbursements” to other shell companies established by Ocasio-Cortez’s former chief of staff Chaikat Sakrabarti during her first run for Congress in 2018.
Despite the FEC’s findings, which revealed several instances of failing to follow the rules and law, the six-member panel voted 4-2 to dismiss a government watchdog complaint against Ocasio-Cortez. The National Legal and Policy Center, which filed the complaint, subsequently sued the FEC in Washington DC federal court for not providing a reason for its dismissal.
The original complaint alleged that AOC campaign treasurer Frank Llewellyn, Sakrabarti, and others funneled over $1 million in political donations into two companies controlled by Sakrabarti, potentially violating the $5,000 contribution limit to federal candidates. Paul Kamenar, NLPC counsel, argued that the FEC has pursued individuals whose violations were much smaller than this scheme, suggesting “prosecutorial favoritism” rather than discretion.
AOC faces additional legal trouble, as the House Office of Congressional Ethics found “substantial reason to believe” she may have violated federal law when she accepted “impermissible gifts” related to her 2021 attendance at the Met Gala. The congresswoman made headlines at the event by wearing a dress emblazoned with the phrase “Tax the Rich.”
The bipartisan Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics voted 5-0 to determine that Ocasio-Cortez may have broken federal law and House rules concerning her attendance and the costs associated with her wardrobe. The Board recommended further review of the allegation that she accepted impermissible gifts in connection with her Met Gala attendance.
AOC’s ‘Tax the Rich’ Met Gala appearance likely violated law: ethics panel https://t.co/yGD6RZScap pic.twitter.com/BQ9UNq2wlC
— New York Post (@nypost) March 2, 2023
The rental of her “Tax the Rich” dress, matching shoes, and handbag totaled $2,283, including sales tax. A revised bill dated Sept. 20 reduced the overall rental to $990. The committee was unable to explain the discrepancy between the first and second bills, and Brother Vellies, the provider of Ocasio-Cortez’s outfit, declined to cooperate. Although Ocasio-Cortez was expected to pay the invoice for the rental, she only did so after the committee began its investigation. The rental company and Ocasio-Cortez’s hairdresser identified $5,799.99 worth of unpaid bills related to her gown rental, transportation, room rental, shoes, and her boyfriend’s rented bowtie.
Sources: ConservativeBrief, Daily Caller, NYpost
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