AOC Faces New Ethics Probe

The House Committee on Ethics announced Wednesday that it is moving forward with an ethics complaint filed against Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez but the committee won’t choose a course of action until the next Congress. The panel released a statement saying Acting Chairwoman Susan Wild of Pennsylvania and Acting Ranking Member Michael Guest of Mississippi “jointly decided to extend the matter” but did not give a reason for the inquiry. The ethics panel received the referral from the Office of Congressional Ethics, or OCE, an independent nonpartisan board, in June. OCE reviews allegations of misconduct by lawmakers and decides whether to forward them to the congressional panel for action. “The committee notes that the mere fact of a referral or an extension, and the mandatory disclosure of such an extension and the name of the subject of the matter, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee,” the committee said in a statement.How far the matter goes will be decided when the committee has an organizational meeting and adopts its rule for the 118th Congress. Unlike other committees on the Hill, the ethics panel is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. The committee may gain new leadership in the next Congress. Both Ms. Wild and Mr. Guest are in acting roles. Ms. Wild took over after the resignation of Committee Chairman Ted Deutsch of Florida, who left Congress in September to head the American Jewish Committee. Mr. Guest was elevated after the death of Ranking Member Jackie Walorski of Indiana, who was killed in a car accident in August. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has previously had go-rounds with the ethics committee. In September 2021, a complaint was filed by Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust and other groups over her accepting a dress that read “Tax the Rich,” shoes, and jewelry that she wore to the Met Gala as well as for receipt of other services like hair-styling, makeup and a limousine ride. In that same month, she narrowly avoided an Ethics Committee-imposed fine after turning in her financial disclosure forms after the deadline.“The congresswoman has always taken ethics incredibly seriously, refusing any donations from lobbyists, corporations or other special interests,” a spokesperson for Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement to Forbes.

AOC Faces New Ethics Probe

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