House Ethics Committee will probe AOC's Met Gala attendance having 'substantial reason to believe' violations occurred

The House Office of Congressional Ethics said in a report that it has a "substantial reason to believe" that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) acted improperly when she attended the Met Gala in 2021 and recommended further investigation into exactly what happened.

Lawmakers believe Ocasio-Cortez violated ethics rules on accepting gifts when she accepted Met Gala tickets from Vogue to attend the event.

The report read:

In 2021, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was invited to and attended the Met Gala with Mr. Roberts. As part of her attendance, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was provided with a couture dress, handbag, shoes, and jewelry. She also received hair, makeup, transportation, and ready-room services. Riley Roberts received a bowtie and shoes in advance of the event," the report states. "While Rep. Ocasio-Cortez appears to have now paid for the rental value of the attire she wore to the Met Gala and for the goods and services she and her partner received in connection with this September 2021 event, payment for these goods and services did not occur until after the OCE contacted her in connection with this review.

The committee further found that she may not have paid for "several thousands of dollars' worth of goods and services provided to her," including the tickets themselves.

Her counsel David Mitrani argued that no ethical violations have been found but said that the delays in paying for the goods and services she received were "unacceptable" and that she has "taken steps" to prevent anything similar from happening in the future.

She told investigators that a staff member was responsible for not paying the invoices in a timely manner. The staff member admitted to the delay and said she didn't have access to Ocasio-Cortez's personal credit card at the time.