A conservative group has filed a complaint against House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) for her appearance at the Met Gala.
The American Accountability Foundation (AAF), which was founded by former Trump staffers, claimed Ocasio-Cortez committed “blatant Congressional ethics violations” in a Wednesday statement posted on its website. The “non-partisan conservate research” group claims that by attending the Gala she violated the gift rule of the Code of Official Conduct, which mandates that congressional lawmakers cannot accept gifts.
“AOC took this opportunity to display a tone-deaf ‘tax the rich’ slogan on her custom-made designer gown while rubbing elbows with wealthy Hollywood celebrities and influencers — a group not selected by the Met, but handpicked by Anna Wintour and Condé Nast,” the release reads. “As a for-profit company, Condé Nast fails to meet any definition of a charitable organization and debunks Ocasio-Cortez’s claim that her attendance was legitimate or subject to any exemption from the House’s gift rule.”
However, the complaint fails to note the several exceptions to the gift rule. One explicitly allows for congressional representatives to accept “a sponsor’s unsolicited offer of free attendance at a charity event,” of which the Met Gala is one of the most famous examples. The annual event is the primary source of funding for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, which is, indeed, a nonprofit organization.
It seems more likely that the AAF’s issue was with Ocasio-Cortez’s getup, which drew widespread backlash from Republicans because of its political message. Interestingly, the AAF did not take any issue with fellow Democratic House Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), who also attended the Gala and wore a statement piece with sashes reading “Equal Rights for Women,” in tribute to the Equal Rights Amendment.
Ocasio-Cortez responded preemptively on Monday, seeming to anticipate the backlash that her attendance would garner.
“The medium is the message,” she wrote in an Instagram caption accompanying a picture of herself with the dress’ designer, Aurora James. “And yes, BEFORE anybody starts wilding out — NYC elected officials are regularly invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing our city’s cultural institutions that serve the public.”
“I was one of several in attendance,” she added, before clarifying that the dress was merely borrowed and not given.
In a follow-up post, the lawmaker elaborated on her decision to attend the gala.
