The House Committee on Ethics determined in a report released Friday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) failed to comply with the House’s gifting rule as part of her appearance at the 2021 Met Gala, determining that she improperly accepted free admission to the gala for her partner and failed to pay full fair market value for some of the items she wore at the event.
Ocasio-Cortez and her counsel, the report states, sought to comply with House ethics requirements, but found that she accepted more than $3,700 in rented apparel — including a white gown emblazoned with “Tax the Rich” in red letters — and a hairpiece, but paid less than $1,000. . . .
The committee declined to sanction Ocasio-Cortez, provided that she donate the $250 value of the Met Gala meal provided to her partner who went to the event with her, Riley Roberts, and pays the brand behind her Met Gala look, Brother Vellies, an additional $2,733.28 “for the fair market value of the goods that she received in connection with her 2021 Met Gala attendance.” . . .
Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff, Mike Casca, said in a statement that the congresswoman accepts the committee’s ruling.
