A congressional watchdog has fined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) $3,000 over ethics violations tied to her headline-grabbing appearance at the 2021 Met Gala, where she wore a designer gown emblazoned with the phrase “Tax the Rich.”
At the time, the former Bronx bartender drew widespread attention for attending the star-studded charity event, known for its celebrity guest list and steep ticket prices—reportedly up to $30,000, according to the Associated Press. Her white dress, designed by Brother Vellies, became one of the night’s most talked-about ensembles.
Now, the House Ethics Committee has concluded that Ocasio-Cortez violated the House “Gift” rule by failing to pay the full market value for the dress and for accepting a free ticket to the event for her fiancé, Riley Roberts. It remains unclear whether she paid for her own ticket.
The committee acknowledged that Ocasio-Cortez “proactively took steps” to address the issue but said she ultimately failed to fully rectify the matter. The report also raised concerns that Brother Vellies may have underpriced the dress after learning that AOC planned to promote the brand, and noted that payments to the designer were significantly delayed.
Some of the payments weren’t made until after the committee began its probe, however. Investigators stated that AOC’s staff was “overly reliant” on Brother Vellies to assess whether the dress complied with the House “gift” rule, noting the designer had a clear conflict of interest—standing to benefit financially from the Democrat publicly showcasing their work.
However, the report noted that the delays in paying Brother Vellies were not “intentional,” attributing the issue to a campaign staffer who failed to communicate about the payments in a timely manner. “I just never, ever, ever would have allowed that to happen, knowing what I have learned,” Ocasio-Cortez said at the time, Fox News reported. “But I wasn’t privy to the invoices, wasn’t privy to the ones that had been sent.”