The House Ethics Committee found that Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “impermissibly accepted gifts” in connection with her 2021 appearance at the Met Gala, violating a House rule.
The House “gift rule” prohibits lawmakers from knowingly accepting gifts, including favors, discounts, or services, with some exceptions.
In a report released Friday, the committee said that Ocasio-Cortez “proactively took steps to comply” with House rules, including using personal funds to rent apparel that would typically be gifted or loaned to Met Gala attendees.
But the report states that, “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 ethics panel said it did not find evidence that Ocasio-Cortez “intentionally underpaid” for costs related to the event, and that “in many instances,” she had relied on a campaign staffer to handle discussions of payment and the advice of her counsel to determine the amounts.
But the committee said it found evidence suggesting that the designer may have “lowered costs in response to statements from Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s staff, and that payments to vendors were significantly delayed and, in several cases, did not occur” until after the Office of Congressional Conduct began an investigation.
The committee called on Ocasio-Cortez to “make additional payments of personal funds to compensate for the fair market value of certain expenses.”
A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez said that the congresswoman intends to “remedy the remaining amounts.”
“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 as a Member of the House. She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she’s done at each step in this process,” her chief of staff Mike Casca said in a statement provided to CNN.
The ethics committee also released a separate report related to Rep. Mike Kelly, a Pennsylvania Republican, and allegations that his wife may have bought stock in a steel company based on confidential or nonpublic information he learned in his role as a congressman.
The committee said that it reviewed allegations referred by the Office of Congressional Conduct and “did not find evidence that he knowingly or intentionally caused his spouse to trade based on insider information.”
But the report said that the panel “did not receive full cooperation from Mrs. Kelly and was therefore unable to determine whether her stock purchase was improper.”
The report concluded by saying that “Representative Kelly should ensure that he and Mrs. Kelly divest of all shares of Cleveland-Cliffs before taking any further official action relating to the company.”
In a statement, Rep. Kelly said, “This investigation has unnecessarily lasted for nearly five years. In the years since this investigation began, the Cleveland Cliffs Butler Works plant faced an uncertain future due to the Biden administration’s reckless energy policies. Throughout this process, I have fought for the 1,400 workers at the plant, I’ve spoken with these workers, and they appreciate the hard work we have done to fight for those jobs and for Butler. My family and I look forward to putting this distraction behind us.”
