OAN Staff Abril Elfi
3:58 PM – Friday, July 25, 2025
New York Democrat Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez violated House ethics guidelines by accepting over $3,700 in rented clothing and other gifts for her widely publicized appearance at the 2021 Met Gala, according to the House Ethics Committee.
Among the items was a designer gown bearing the leftist slogan “Tax the Rich” in striking red lettering, along with a complimentary ticket for her then-boyfriend, Riley Roberts. Despite the high value of the benefits received, Ocasio-Cortez ultimately paid less than $1,000 for the items.
On Friday, the committee released a report finding that although Ocasio-Cortez “proactively took steps” to comply with the “Gift Rule” — in relation to her Met Gala appearance — she failed to fully comply.
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The committee also discovered evidence that the designer, Brother Vellies, “a Black owned and female led lifestyle and accessories brand,” may have reduced expenses in response to assertions from Ocasio-Cortez’s team, and that payments to vendors were unduly delayed, according to the report.
Additionally, the committee discovered that in prior situations, payment did not occur until after the investigation was launched.
Members of AOC’s staff were “overly reliant” on the vendors to assure her compliance with the Gift Rule, they argued, despite the vendors’ competing objectives to ensure she could promote their goods and services.
However, the committee also noted that they did not conclude that the alleged underpayments were “intentional,” instead blaming a campaign staffer — who oversaw payment discussions. AOC corroborated that claim as well.
“I just never, ever, ever would have allowed that to happen, knowing what I have learned,” Ocasio-Cortez said during an interview with investigators in March 2023. “But I wasn’t privy to the invoices, wasn’t privy to the ones that had been sent.”
Based on its findings, the committee decided that it was permissible for the Democrat politician to make additional payments from her own personal funds in order to compensate for the fair market value of specific expenses.
The report emphasized that no sanctions will be imposed, so long as she donates the “$250 value of Roberts’ Met Gala meal to the Costume Institute” and “pay Brother Vellies an additional $2,733.28” for the fair market value of the accessories she received in connection with the gala.
The matter will be closed after confirmation that the payments were made has been received, the committee concluded.
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