Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — the self-proclaimed champion of the working class — has once again revealed her true colors: saying one thing to score political points while living the high life when no one’s looking. This time, it was the House Ethics Committee that exposed AOC for violating House rules when she attended the exclusive 2021 Met Gala in a designer gown that ironically screamed “Tax the Rich.”
Turns out, AOC wasn’t just virtue signaling on the red carpet — she was accepting thousands of dollars in unlawful gifts and delaying payment for luxury services until she got caught. After nearly five years of investigation, the Committee fined her $2,983.28, outlining a series of ethical violations that highlight what conservatives have warned about for years: AOC’s brand of socialism doesn’t apply to her.
While tickets to the Met Gala sell for a whopping $35,000 each, AOC and her then-fiancé Riley Roberts got in for free — a blatant breach of the House’s Gift Rule, which bars members from accepting gifts that aren’t directly related to official duties.
The House Ethics Committee didn’t mince words in its scathing report:
“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.”
Translation? While preaching about fairness and equity, AOC was quietly benefiting from elite perks and only opened her checkbook after being exposed.
And yet, AOC’s defense was as weak as it was familiar: she didn’t know. In her testimony, she offered a rambling excuse:
“So I didn’t know in terms of how it was structured if we were paying each vendor individually, if it was Brother Vellies covering the cost… but I really did not know the details at the time.”
She doubled down on the “oops” defense again, claiming:
“I just never, ever, ever would have allowed that to happen, knowing what I have learned.”
But the Committee wasn’t buying it, nor should Americans who are tired of politicians playing by a different set of rules. While millions of hardworking citizens follow the law and pay their taxes, AOC was busy trying to figure out whether her \$1,300 designer dress was a “rental” or a “gift” — all while attacking the wealthy and promoting socialist policies from a red carpet funded by elites.
AOC’s team, naturally, scrambled to defend her. Chief of Staff Mike Casca tried to minimize the damage:
“The Congresswoman appreciates the Committee finding that she made efforts to ensure her compliance… she accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts.”
That’s like robbing a store, getting caught, and saying, “I was going to pay eventually.”
Even her staff couldn’t keep their stories straight. One admitted to “confusion” over whether AOC’s outfit was a purchase or a rental, and tried to deflect blame onto comparisons with “Rent the Runway.” You can’t make this up.
At the end of the day, this scandal perfectly encapsulates AOC’s political playbook: Say the right things for applause. Do the wrong things when no one’s watching. Claim ignorance when caught.
Conservatives have long warned about the dangers of performative socialism wrapped in designer labels. AOC’s Met Gala stunt is just the latest proof that her message is about control and attention — not integrity or accountability.
