Ethics Panel Forces AOC To Pay Nearly $3,000 For Met Gala Stunt

Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez must pay back gifts from her 2021 Met Gala attendance to the tune of $2,983.28, according to a report from the House Committee on Ethics (OCC) released Friday.

Following an investigation, the OCC concluded that Ocasio-Cortez did not intentionally underpay, but is still requiring her to pay the fair market value of goods received for her Met Gala attire, including her Tax the Rich gown, and the “per-person cost of the meal” for her partner.

The OCC found the retail value of the gown Ocasio-Cortez rented was estimated at approximately $18,837.30; however, the representative initially paid $300 to rent out the “custom-designed gown for an evening on the red carpet,” according to the report.

“[R]epresentative Ocasio-Cortez’s attempt to apply a retail rental cost to a handmade couture gown was unrealistic,” the documents read.

The OCC concluded that a fair market cost for rental of the gown is $2,976.29, meaning Ocasio-Cortez would need to pay the difference to the luxury brand and designer of the gown, Brother Vellies.

The OCC also determined it would be appropriate for Ocasio-Cortez to donate the $250 cost of her partner’s meal at the gala to the Costume Institute, as free meals were only included for the guests who were either married or dependent on the attendee they were accompanying. (RELATED: Finally, A Summer Blockbuster That Conservatives Will Love)

The report also alleged Ocasio-Cortez was late in paying for certain services for the night.

“Obviously it would look terrible if we had to file a complaint with the NY Dept of Labor against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress. Do you have an active contact on AOC’s team who will pay for the work done by our artist?” her hairstylist’s agency said in a 2021 email to Ocasio-Cortez’s former campaign staffer, according to the report.

The makeup agency Ocasio-Cortez used claimed her “invoice [was] still outstanding and EXTREMELY overdue” four months after the event.

.@AOC and @AuroraJames teamed up for the 2021 #MetGala. They talk about AOC’s statement-making look, and James’s @15PercentPledge pic.twitter.com/4gjnjEhoil

— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) September 14, 2021

Although they were eventually paid, Ocasio-Cortez claimed she “didn’t know in terms of how it was structured” and that she was unsure if she needed to pay for the services separately or if Brother Vellies was covering the cost, according to her testimony.

Ocasio-Cortez’s counsel said “[i]t would be nonsensical to suggest that the Congresswoman should have been prepared to pay for aspects of items and services that she didn’t know about and didn’t authorize” and said that her team did their “due diligence,” according to the OCC.

The OCC said if the counsel had any questions regarding specifics, they could have reached out to the committee for assistance.

“Although Representative Ocasio-Cortez failed to exercise proper oversight over a staffer working on her behalf, the Committee did not find evidence that she intended to seek to lower the cost of goods provided to her or to delay payment for those goods and other services received by her and Mr. Roberts,” the OCC’s documents stated.

“Nonetheless, despite Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s significant attempts, the Committee found that she failed to fully comply with the Gift Rule by impermissibly accepting a gift of free admission to the 2021 Met Gala for her partner and by failing to pay full fair market value for some of the items worn to the event,” the report stated.

“The Congresswoman appreciates the Committee finding that she made efforts to ensure her compliance with House Rules and sought to act consistently with her ethical requirements,” Mike Casca, Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff, said in a statement obtained by Axios. “She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she’s done at each step in this process. ”

The OCC concluded Ocasio-Cortez did not “intentionally” underpay for services.

“The Committee did not find evidence that Representative Ocasio-Cortez intentionally underpaid for any goods or services received in connection with the Met Gala; in many instances, the congresswoman relied on the advice of counsel in determining appropriate payment amounts, and most discussions about payment were handled through a campaign staffer,” the documents said.