Why Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Under Investigation? Probably For Her Dress, Makeup And…

It was September 2021, around the time that the world was beginning to emerge from lockdown, when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showed up at one of the flashiest parties in America, the Met Gala. The congresswoman came with a message, delivered via her strapless gown. On the backside of the white dress, scrawled in blood-red lettering, were the words “Tax The Rich.”

As Ocasio-Cortez spoke to the line of cameras near the entrance, her outfit blared the message to monied guests passing by, including billionaire Tory Burch and centimillionaire Kris Jenner. The moguls were not the only ones eyeing the dress. Photos of the gown instantly blew up online, prompting a viral mix of praise and outrage that even the Kardashian family would envy. In Washington, meanwhile, a different set of onlookers took interest for a more consequential reason—the attire indicated a possible violation of House ethics rules.

The one-of-a-kind dress, which Ocasio-Cortez helped create for the occasion, did not belong to the congresswoman. Congressional guidelines generally prevent lawmakers from accepting gifts. Ocasio-Cortez claimed that she “borrowed” the piece from its designer, Aurora James, an acclaimed artist known for working with people like Beyoncé. It’s harder to borrow hair styling and makeup, which Ocasio-Cortez also received from acclaimed artists.

Even if Ocasio-Cortez had, in fact, borrowed a more standard gown, it still could have caused her to violate House gift rules, according to Kendra Arnold, the executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust. “Borrowing is not allowed, and the primary reason for that is because it could be simply used as a way to evade all of the ethics rules,” says Arnold. “As soon as she said that she had ‘borrowed items,’ we believed that it was indicative of a gift.”

Added Kathleen Clark, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis who specializes in government ethics and has been highly critical of politicians on both sides of the aisle: “It’s not obvious to me how she could have accepted them.”

The Met Gala has caused ethics problems for others, as well. Another New York Democrat, former Rep. Carolyn Maloney, faced an investigation from the Office of Congressional Ethics over her attendance at the event. As part of that probe, the ethics office secured receipts and documents that showed Maloney paid for dresses she wore to the gala in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Maloney also provided documentation showing that she paid for her hairstyling and makeup.

A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez, Lauren Hitt, declined to answer questions. “The ethics committee’s statement did not comment on the subject of their review and so, out of respect for their ongoing process, neither will we,” Hitt said, adding that the congresswoman is cooperating with the investigation.

The dress designer also declined to comment. The hair stylist and makeup artist who helped Ocasio-Cortez prepare for the evening did not respond to requests for comment. Vogue, which published footage of Ocasio-Cortez getting ready for the gala and whose editor, Anna Wintour, oversees the event, also did not respond to inquiries.

If Ocasio-Cortez had taken care of her own clothes, hair and makeup, her mere presence at the gala might have been enough to prompt ethics concerns, given that tickets to the event reportedly go for $35,000. The morning after the party, the congresswoman took to Instagram to defend her attendance. “BEFORE anybody starts wilding out,” she wrote, “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.”

That explanation did not make much sense to Tom Jones, founder of the American Accountability Foundation, which called for an ethics investigation into Ocasio-Cortez the day after the party. “The idea that this is somehow constituent service is a joke,” he said. “I’ve worked in congressional offices. Constituent services is going out to the local community-development organization and helping them set up a food bank or saying, ‘I can help you complete this grant application in a way so that you can get funds to serve your community.’ It’s not going to a $35,000-a-year gala, listening to rock stars, looking beautiful and driving some lefty message.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s suggestion that other people in her position attend the event does not entirely hold up, either. Asked if members of Congress receive invitations to the gala, a spokesperson for the Met said that citywide officers, like the mayor and parks commissioner, typically get invitations, but did not mention congresspeople. As for whether or not House investigators have contacted anyone at the museum regarding Ocasio-Cortez’s appearance, the spokesperson said, the Met doesn’t comment on active investigations.

Additionally, lists of government officeholders who were supposed to be invited to the Met Gala in 2016 and 2018 show zero members of Congress. Only one other federal lawmaker appeared in Vogue’s 182-photo recap of “every celebrity look” from the 2021 gala: Maloney, a congresswoman who, unlike Ocasio-Cortez, represented a part of New York City right by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Voters ousted Maloney from Congress during last year’s primary, so House ethics officials probably won’t say much more about the investigation into her. The committee on ethics, however, has promised to provide an update on its inquiry into Ocasio-Cortez sometime after its first meeting of the new Congress. It’s not clear when that will be. Kevin McCarthy won an election to become speaker of the House on Jan. 7, but the first meeting for the committee has yet to be scheduled.