New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a far-left activist who represents part of New York City, has been handed a rebuke from the House Ethics Committee for claiming her live-in other is her “spouse” but also is not her “spouse.”
A report in the Free Beacon noted that AOC considers Riley Roberts her “spouse” when the issue is accepting gifts that normally would be available only the spouses of members of Congress.
Such as a free ticket worth $35,000 to the 2021 Met Gala, or possession of a “spouse pin” that allows him access to non-public areas of the Capitol complex.
But he’s not a spouse when it comes to public disclosure of his finances.
That differentiation is according to lawyer David Mitrani, who wrote to the ethics committee justifying her claims.
Actually, the report said, Cortez has “lived with Roberts since 2016 and the pair became engaged in 2022, but there’s no evidence the couple has legally tied the knot, and Ocasio-Cortez hasn’t been pictured wearing her engagement ring in public since November 2023.”
The rebuke from the ethics committee was because she is – and isn’t – describing him as her “spouse.”
The lawyer noted that she could take a ticket worth $35,000 for Roberts for the 2021 Gala even though that was a perk available only to a “legally-married spouse.”
“Roberts is considered a ‘spouse’,” Mitrani told the committee. With that understanding, Roberts also was able to accept free travel to Japan and South Korea.
But, the report said, Mitrani explained to the committee Roberts is not subject to having its income and financial holdings disclosed, as required for spouses of members of Congress, because for those requirements, he’s not considered a “spouse.”
“The Ethics Committee rebuked Ocasio-Cortez for her dual-use of the term ‘spouse’ to define her relationship with Roberts deep in the footnotes of the committee’s July report ordering Ocasio-Cortez to repay $3,000 in impermissible gifts she received when she attended the 2021 Met Gala in her infamous ‘Tax the Rich’ dress,” the report said.
“The Committee further notes that at the same time Representative Ocasio-Cortez was seeking to take advantage of exceptions to the Gift Rule only applicable to spouses and/or certain relatives, she was not disclosing Mr. Roberts’s financial interests as is required of Members who are legally married,” the committee wrote.
The report said literally no information is available about Roberts, where he works, his business ownerships, debts, assets and stock market trading activity.
“Federal laws that require the spouses of lawmakers to disclose their financial affairs to the public exist to prevent congressional spouses from profiting from their partner’s position in Congress or from being used as a pass-through to influence legislation,” the report said.
Kendra Arnold, of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, said the evidence raises questions about whether there is something being hidden.
“It is fair to question her inconsistent treatment of Roberts as her spouse, and specifically whether this is in an attempt to not disclose financial information,” Arnold explained to the Free Beacon.
Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, of the Project on Government Oversight, said, “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck. It’s a duck.”
“She wants to take advantage of the perks of Roberts being a congressional spouse when it’s convenient. They should also comply with the less convenient parts of being a congressional spouse, including financial disclosures.”
