160

House Ethics report finds AOC ‘impermissibly accepted gifts’ related to 2021 Met Gala appearance | CNN Politics (lite.cnn.com)

submitted 6 days ago by homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

46 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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.

. . . 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.”

This some bull shit right here.

all 48 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 19 points 5 days ago

AOC...

“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.

The GOP-led panel even called those steps "significant attempts," and

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.

Emphasis mine. Sounds like she tried to comply, made a mistake, and should be writing a couple of checks to make this right. Get back to me if she refuses.

Meanwhile, the GOP-led panel

“did not receive full cooperation from [GOP Representative Mike Kelly's wife] Mrs. Kelly and was therefore unable to determine whether her stock purchase was improper.”

Also, Trump's name is in the Epstein files and the GOP Speaker literally shut down the government rather than release them, so as the Sesame Street song goes, "one of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong."

[-] reddig33@lemmy.world 143 points 6 days ago

What, did she accept a jumbo jet from the Saudis?

[-] Lucky_777@lemmy.world 49 points 6 days ago

Exactly, was it more than the jumbo jet? No? Then when Trump gets punished. You can punish AOC for her bullshit.

[-] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 22 points 6 days ago

Sounds like they are flagging her mostly for getting discounts on her clothes for the gala despite taking efforts to do it the right way. Those discounts though went through her staff who she relied on to correctly handle the expenses. So her crime was trusting her staff to relay the costs and make sure that they were fair market price. At the very least, without further evidence that there was intentional or knowing favor taken specifically by her, that is not a violation of ethics on her part. Maybe her staffer was negligent in determining fair price, or maybe they knowingly accepted or solicited discounts for their boss, but that isn't AOC's fault even if that is the case. Sounds like maybe they also got her partner in for free, but given how dubious the other concern is, I want to hear more about how that happened. Either way, this is as minor of a concern for me as it comes.

[-] Tinidril@midwest.social 5 points 6 days ago

maybe they knowingly accepted or solicited discounts for their boss, but that isn't AOC's fault

I think the AOC complaint was overall ridiculous, but this particular excuse shouldn't fly. She ought to be responsible for properly training , instructing, and managing her staff.

[-] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

No, if her staff took it upon themselves to do something unethical without her knowledge or consent, that does not reflect negatively on her. Particularly as she was demonstrating good ethical behavior by paying for things others were allowed to borrow, trying to pay market price, etc. If she became aware of that sort of behavior and THEN did nothing to correct this, then THAT would reflect poorly on her.

No one is responsible for the unintended, unauthorized and unethical behavior others take upon themselves to do without that person's knowledge. And the entire point of having the staff is to be able to rely upon them to do things for you which requires an amount of trust. Because if you're directly involved with, and/or reviewing and confirming that everything they do is exactly right, you may as well be doing it yourself.

My wife's family owns a fireworks store. We do not specifically train people not to steal, not to hit customers, not to sell drugs in the store, etc. We are not standing over the shoulders of every employee validate their every action nor viewing the cameras every minute of every day to verify they did everything right. That doesn't mean we are responsible for their actions if they do those sorts of things without our intention, consent or knowledge. If we find out about any of those things, that person is dealt with appropriately. Failing to hold them accountable would be to implicitly permit it, which would make you negligent and indirectly responsible. But only once you know about it and fail to correct it is that the case.

[-] forrgott@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 4 days ago

Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. If there was evidence of wrongdoing, which again there is not, I could understand your position. Until then, there is not, in fact, any reason to believe she did not properly train, instruct, and manage her staff.

[-] criss_cross@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago

Or insider information to trade stocks on?

[-] SupraMario@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

Or create a shit coin?

Or tank the stock market so his buddies could buy cheap stock and then say "J/K on tariffs"

[-] OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca 50 points 5 days ago

The ethics panel said it did not find evidence that Ocasio-Cortez “intentionally underpaid”

So she didn't intentionally break any rules.

Meanwhile Trump fucked underage girls.

[-] Xanthobilly@lemmy.world 100 points 6 days ago

Fascism going after its political enemies.

[-] LilB0kChoy@piefed.social 26 points 6 days ago

Did you read the entire article?

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 House Ethics Committee is bipartisan and reviews matters referred to it by the Office of Congressional Ethics.

The Office of Congressional Ethics is “a nonpartisan, independent entity charged with reviewing allegations of misconduct against members of the House of Representatives and their staff and, when appropriate, referring matters to the United States House Committee on Ethics.

It’s also worth noting that “the OCE was created by House Resolution 895 of the 110th United States Congress in March 2008, 191 in the wake of across-the-board Democratic victories in the 2006 elections. It was created under the leadership of then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi as part of her effort to clean up what she called the "culture of corruption" in official Washington, which had garnered so much attention in the preceding congressional sessions.”

This specific incidence is less “fascism” and more “checks and balances working as intended”.

[-] Xanthobilly@lemmy.world 64 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Trump rapes children.

[-] LilB0kChoy@piefed.social 10 points 6 days ago

Odd non sequitur but, yes, he very likely does.

In case you’re confused though, that is also not fascism, it’s paedophilia.

[-] Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

What exactly does that have to do with the subject at hand?

Fuck me for pointing out the obvious total non-sequitur. Hive mind in action. We get a fresh influx of Redditors or something?

[-] Serinus@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

Because they're throwing everything they can as distractions. There's a reason there's been new headlines every time something they don't like is in the press.

[-] Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I'm totally with you on that. Most of the daily headlines are just distractions from the child-raping dictator that should be front and center. And by all means I hate the bastard as much as the next sane person. If he were on fire, the only liquid I'd pour on him would be an accelerant. I also think it's possible that in the midst of all this bullshit, occasionally stuff will happen that's still just part of the everyday red-tape of working for the government. The best I can tell from this article is that the committee made it a point to state they don't think AOC acted maliciously here - just some staffer's fuck-up - and AOC doesn't appear to even be disputing it.

So, in this particular instance, just kinda seems like "Trump rapes children" was OP's attempt at a redirect when someone asked if they even read the article that they're sharing - a question which they never did answer; given the reading habits of most people I've interacted with on Lemmy, it's certainly not an unfair question to ask.

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

[-] amikulo@slrpnk.net 1 points 6 days ago

Raped

I really doubt he has the coordination and blood pressure to do it at present.

[-] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 6 days ago

I don't really understand what you're getting at.

There's loads (almost all ?) of public institutions which have become tools for the authoritarian regime.

This institution is not "working as intended" if it asks a democrat to repay an event ticket but gives a republican a free pass on insider trading.

I'll remind you that insider trading is theft. If a stock is worth $x on the open market but you know that due to upcoming legislation or regulator actions it's really worth $x + $y then when you buy that stock you deprive everyone else in the market of that $y.

One person received a benefit of a few hundred dollars and the other received a benefit of possibly a few million dollars.

[-] LilB0kChoy@piefed.social 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

There's loads (almost all ?) of public institutions which have become tools for the authoritarian regime.

Yep, there sure are. Anything to support that the OCE (a non-partisan independent board) or House Ethics Committee (a bi-partisan committee made up of 5 members of each party) is one of them?

This institution is not "working as intended" if it asks a democrat to repay an event ticket

OCE referred it to the HEC, they reviewed it and found that while AOC made full effort to abide by the gift policy there were a few things missed. They asked her to rectify it and she agreed. She also acknowledged their findings (“She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she’s done at each step in this process“). What’s not working there?

but gives a republican a free pass on insider trading.

“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.”

Any actual tangible proof or evidence they’re lying? Or maybe you have a view like the MAGAs and want to suspend due process for those you don’t like?

One person received a benefit of a few hundred dollars and the other received a benefit of possibly a few million dollars.

Do you notice how you worded this?

“One person received a benefit of a few hundred dollars”

“other received a benefit of possibly a few million dollars”. Possibly.

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.”

I think it’s very likely they engaged in insider trading, but if they have nothing to actually prove it, what are you expecting from the process?

I'll remind you that insider trading is theft.

It sure is. Who handles financial crimes? The DoJ and the SEC, yet no investigation was opened. Probably because those organizations have been hamstrung and stacked with loyalists at positions of power? Although the case for Rep. Kelly was referred to House Ethics in 2021…

On July 23, 2021, the Office of Congressional Ethics transmitted a referral to the Committee on Ethics of the United States House of Representatives regarding Rep. Mike Kelly.

[-] TachyonTele@piefed.social 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

You're still under the assumption that the governments parts are all working together still.

[-] LilB0kChoy@piefed.social 3 points 6 days ago

Anything, beyond your supposition, to support something different in this specific instance?

[-] TachyonTele@piefed.social 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Yeah. The news, daily, since jan 20th.

Edit. Lol this 8 hour account blocked me over this. Hahahaha what

[-] LilB0kChoy@piefed.social 3 points 6 days ago

That’s about what I thought.

[-] WarmSoda@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

c/conservative is over there ->

[-] LilB0kChoy@piefed.social 2 points 6 days ago

Maybe that’s where you should be. Personally, I don’t like misinformation but since you do I’m guessing your values would align nicely with c/conservative.

[-] Madrigal@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Read the room.

[-] LilB0kChoy@piefed.social 3 points 6 days ago

Why? There’s plenty of actual fascism going on that misinformation and fear mongering about this specific situation isn’t needed.

If only we could determine when the OCE refferred the case to the House Ethics Committee…

On June 23, 2022, the Office of Congressional Ethics transmitted a referral to the Committee on Ethics of the United States House of Representatives regarding Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

[-] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 45 points 6 days ago

This is a political hit job, nothing more

[-] BigMacHole@sopuli.xyz 77 points 6 days ago

How DARE AOC use Insider Knowledge to Trade Stocks and then LIE to Congresspeople about it! Oh wait that was a Republican and AOC just bought her Own Met Gala attire instead of letting designers gift it? What I meant to say was I LOVE INSIDER TRADING and HATE When Lawmakers use their OWN MONEY to buy Clothes!

[-] Wazowski@lemmy.world 58 points 6 days ago

Wake me up when she’s selling shitcoins and golden bibles or whatever the fuck.

[-] chellewalker@lemmy.ca 56 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Gotta love that this nothingburger about AOC underpaying for a ticket buries the very real news about a Rep's wife that totally didn't do insider trading guys. Nevermind that said wife actively refused to cooperate, and the committee "recommends" she stop having stocks in the company as less then a slap on the wrist.

[-] match@pawb.social 2 points 5 days ago

Pretty sure they want to bury the Epstein files more than anything

[-] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 33 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Republican-controlled panel. No reason to believe anything it says.

[-] dnick@sh.itjust.works 9 points 5 days ago

What a perfect example of someone 'not' trying to cheat the system being held to a ridiculously higher bar than those who are so used to cheating that they do it in their sleep.

Basically, cheat at everything and when you get called out on it, do something worse so the 'evidence' and questions immediately become trivial because there's something far worse to address. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Don't worry, if you think there is a limit where 'how can i do something worse and still get away with it?'... Apparently there isn't.

[-] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 32 points 6 days ago

So instead of just denying it, she's actually going to try and rectify her mistake?

If it were a Republikkklan, she'd be through half a dozen lies and misdirections by now

[-] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 23 points 6 days ago

Don't buy the bullshit claim that any government panel is still bi-partisan. If the GOP demanded a game designed to execute babies, the dems would resist by asking for clarification of the rules.

The AOC complaint was political bullshit to begin with and serves to minimize the other case. By releasing the reports simultaneously they're telling the dems not to go after GOP corruption or they will draw up bogus charges on dems.

[-] just_another_person@lemmy.world 23 points 6 days ago

LOLZ, go fuck yourself with this obvious bullshit.

[-] SpaceRanger13@lemmy.zip 12 points 6 days ago

Interesting. Until this committee checks into this little "gift" I saw we give her a pass. I'm not one for whataboutism, but I think this deserves an exception.

[-] Red0ctober@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

Matt Gaetz first

[-] dhork@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Yeah, we should definitely investigate who pays for his dresses

[-] Rhaedas@fedia.io 3 points 6 days ago

I'd first like an investigation for security breaches he did years ago.

[-] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Cool. Now do... fucking everyone else. Get the Judicary and Executive branches in the mix while you are at it.

[-] mhague@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I don't care if it's a hypocritical attack or a distraction from Epstein. It's still bullshit to break ethics rules.

Also how do you have a staffer helping you with paying for things and you still mess up and accept a free ticket for your partner? A ticket to the place you are going to? What a dumb thing to do.

this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2025

160 points (100.0% liked)

politics

25032 readers

2111 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

• Register To Vote

• Citizenship Resource Center

• Congressional Awards Program

• Federal Government Agencies

• Library of Congress Legislative Resources

• The White House

• U.S. House of Representatives

• U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

• News