New York state lawmakers say they didn’t know she was under wages due to Met Galadress, according to a committee report.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should not have accepted a free ticket to her then-partner, Riley Roberts, less than she should have for the clothes she wore at the 2021 Met Gala, according to a report issued July 25 by the House Ethics Committee.
New York lawmaker’s appearance at the Met Gala in a dress reading “The Rich Tax” at the Met Gala was immediately scrutinized as to whether she complied with the house rules that restrict the gifts and free items members may accept.
The committee proposed that representatives should make an additional payment of $2,733.28 from her personal funds to compensate for the fair market value of certain costs.
“The lawmakers acknowledge that they have worked to ensure compliance with the committee’s rules and have attempted to act consistently with their ethical requirements as a member of the House. She accepts the control that took place at each step of this process and improves the remaining amount.”
According to the report, Ocasio-Cortz is taking aggressive steps to comply with House Gift Rules that Congressional members can accept by arranging payments for various services and arranging apparel to be “rented” from personal funds that may be loaned or given to Met Gala participants.
However, the committee found that accepting free entry for partners was not fully compliant – the house gift rules at the time allowed only free entry for spouses or children, and failed to pay full fair market value for some of the items worn at the event.
“The committee did not find any evidence that Representative Ocasio-Cortez intentionally paid a low wage for the goods or services received in connection with the Met Gala,” the report states.
Instead, she relies on advice from her lawyer to determine a fair market price and says that payment discussions were held through campaign staff members.
The committee found evidence suggesting that the designer may have reduced costs in response to a statement from Ocasio-Cortez staff, and found that payments from her personal funds were not made on time or, in some cases, until an investigation began.
According to the report, Ocasio-Cortez told the committee that staff had not been informed of delayed payments or attempts to collect them. The committee’s report said there was no evidence that lawmakers knew they were late in paying.
“The committee found no indication that the delay in making payments was intentional or that Ocasio-Cortez was aware of the extent to which they occurred,” the report said.
