The House Ethics Committee found that the New York Democrat failed to follow House rules on gifts and improperly gave her boyfriend, Riley Roberts, a free ticket to the exclusive $35,000-per-head event, The New York Post reported.
But the panel stopped short of issuing any formal sanctions.
According to the committee, the fair-market value of the rented Brother Vellies dress, shoes, jewelry, handbag, and hairpiece totaled $3,724.04.
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign delayed payments for months and eventually paid just $990.76 — most of it from her own pocket.
Her staff also disputed some of the invoices and tried to reduce costs by comparing the couture gown to cheaper rentals online.
“Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s attempt to apply a retail rental cost to a handmade couture gown was unrealistic,” the committee’s report said.
The report noted that most vendors weren’t paid until after they made repeated attempts to collect — some even threatened legal action.
That led to subpoenas from the committee and a more than three-year investigation.
While the panel said it found no evidence Ocasio-Cortez “intentionally” underpaid for the goods, it did place blame on her former staffers, including ex-campaign manager Rebecca Rodriguez.
Rodriguez was caught trying to negotiate down the cost of the dress — from $1,300 to $300 — and left a $477 hairstylist bill unpaid for nearly six months.
The hairstylist eventually threatened to report the congresswoman’s campaign to the New York Department of Labor.
The Ethics Committee said no punishment would be necessary — as long as Ocasio-Cortez donates $250 to cover her boyfriend’s dinner at the event and pays an additional $2,733.28 to the designer.
AOC’s chief of staff, Mike Casca, said in a statement, “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,” he added.
Under House rules, members of Congress are barred from accepting gifts — with a few exceptions, including tickets to charity events if invited by the organization hosting it.
In this case, Vogue editor Anna Wintour invited Ocasio-Cortez and her boyfriend personally, as guests of Vogue — not the museum that officially hosts the gala.
Wintour also instructed the Brother Vellies designer to custom-make the dress — something the designer called “insane,” since she normally only makes shoes and handbags.
Despite being told to keep expenses low, AOC’s team was met several times with responses like, “Met Gala attendees don’t normally pay for this,” according to her lawyer.
The rented shoes had a retail value of $635 but were rented for $160. The Brother Vellies handbag was worth $995 and rented for $157. Jewelry was rented for $78, and a paper hibiscus flower for her hair cost $35.
A year later, in May 2022, AOC’s team received another $5,579 bill for car service, hotel rooms, and accessories like Roberts’ bowtie and cummerbund.
The report noted that the committee never got a clear answer about why the designer didn’t ask for payment up front.
“No one appeared to be thinking about the cost of anything, despite the fact that they were told to keep the costs down by the Congresswoman’s staff because the Congresswoman had and has limited financial means,” her lawyer said.
The committee concluded that Ocasio-Cortez’s conduct violated House rules, laws, and standards of conduct — both in accepting the gifts and in delaying repayment.
Once she repays the remaining value, the committee says the matter will be considered closed.
HOLY SMOKES: President Trump on Maduro “He Doesn’t Want To F*ck Around With The United States”
President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro offered significant concessions to the United States in a bid to maintain his grip on power.
During a press engagement at the White House, Trump was asked about reports that Maduro had reached out to his administration with proposals involving Venezuela’s natural resources.
“He has offered everything,” Trump told reporters. “He’s offered everything; you’re right.”
The president followed that up with a direct remark that immediately drew global attention: “You know why? Because he doesn’t want to fuck around with the United States.”
Trump’s statement came during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in Washington to discuss diplomatic solutions aimed at ending the long-running Russian occupation of parts of Ukraine.
The question about Venezuela appeared unrelated to the topic of Ukraine but reflected broader concerns about authoritarian governments aligned with Russia.
Maduro has long been a vocal ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has consistently supported Moscow’s foreign policy, including its actions in Ukraine.
In past remarks, Maduro mocked Zelensky as a “clown” and likened him to Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaidó, who once attempted to challenge Maduro’s rule in 2019.
U.S. foreign policy toward Venezuela under Trump’s leadership has focused heavily on countering corruption, narcotics trafficking, and authoritarian influence in Latin America.
As part of that effort, Trump’s administration placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro for information leading to his capture.
According to the U.S. State Department, Maduro was implicated in leading the “Cartel of the Suns,” a high-level Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization involving senior officials.
The State Department described Maduro’s role as one of coordination and leadership, connecting him to narco-terrorism operations with Colombia’s FARC, a designated terrorist organization.
“Maduro negotiated multi-ton shipments of FARC-produced cocaine; directed the Cartel of the Suns to provide military-grade weapons to the FARC; coordinated with narcotics traffickers in Honduras and other countries to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking,” the statement said.
Reports in U.S. media have indicated that members of Maduro’s circle sought dialogue with Washington to mitigate sanctions and halt international pressure.
According to the New York Times and Miami Herald, senior Venezuelan officials allegedly offered the U.S. access to key oil and mineral assets in exchange for leniency toward the regime.
The proposal was reportedly delivered by Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and her brother Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, through Qatari intermediaries.
Sources cited by multiple outlets suggested the Rodríguez siblings presented themselves as possible successors to Maduro if such an arrangement could preserve their power and wealth.
The Associated Press corroborated similar details, indicating that the offer was known and approved by Maduro.
Reports further noted internal divisions within the U.S. administration, with officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly rejecting any deal that did not include full regime change.
Rubio had previously told Breitbart News in 2019 that Maduro’s close allies might eventually turn against him but identified the Rodríguez siblings and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, as the least likely to defect.
“There is no loyalty to Maduro,” Rubio said at the time. “There is basically loyalty to a system that is making them rich and has allowed their families to enjoy life and stay out of jail.”
The Rodríguez siblings consolidated power in 2024 following the arrest of former oil minister Tareck El Aissami, who was charged with treason, money laundering, and corruption.
BREAKING: Anna Paulina Luna Claims The Biden DOJ DESTROYED…
Representative Anna Paulina Luna has leveled explosive information against the Biden Department of Justice, claiming that critical materials related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation have been deliberately destroyed.
This assertion, if proven true, would represent one of the most damning instances of governmental obstruction and cover-up in recent history.
Luna, who chairs a congressional task force focused on federal transparency, has stated unequivocally that she possesses evidence implicating high-ranking officials in the DOJ.
According to her, these officials not only failed to disclose materials related to Epstein but actively destroyed them to conceal the extent of powerful individuals’ involvement in Epstein’s criminal network.
She introduced legislation titled the SHRED Act, aimed at imposing severe penalties on government agents who destroy or conceal federal records. The proposed bill calls for 20 years to life in prison for anyone caught eliminating evidence in cases of national significance.
“Even if they are conducting a criminal investigation, you should probably pick up the phone and call us,” Luna told Fox News. “We have been more than patient.”
These developments come amid growing conservative suspicion that the Biden administration has no interest in unmasking Epstein’s full network. The notion that key records could be gone forever only intensifies fears that justice is being buried under a bureaucratic rug.
Luna’s office has reportedly sent multiple requests to the Department of Justice demanding clarity on the handling of Epstein-related materials. So far, those inquiries have been met with either vague responses or complete silence.
The congresswoman did not mince words in her public statements, suggesting that the DOJ’s behavior constitutes a deliberate act of obstruction. If true, such actions could violate federal law and trigger an entirely new legal battle.
“The Biden DOJ has obstructed Congress, ignored subpoenas, and now appears to have destroyed critical evidence,” Luna said. “This is corruption at the highest level.”
Critics argue that this is yet another example of double standards in Washington. “Had this been a Republican-led DOJ accused of destroying documents in a child sex trafficking case, the media would be apoplectic,” one conservative commentator noted.
For years, the Epstein case has symbolized the deep rot within America’s elite circles. The financier’s suspicious death in prison and the subsequent lack of high-profile indictments have fueled accusations of a widespread cover-up.
Now, Luna’s allegations breathe new life into those concerns. If records were indeed destroyed, the implications are profound. It would mean that the DOJ, under Biden, actively shielded criminals from justice.
What’s more troubling is that these destroyed materials could have named prominent individuals—politicians, celebrities, and global financiers—who participated in or enabled Epstein’s crimes.
In this context, Luna’s SHRED Act isn’t just legislative symbolism. It is a clarion call for accountability in an era marked by elite impunity. Her bill seeks to ensure that future officials think twice before erasing truth from the historical record.
Despite Luna’s repeated calls for transparency, there has been no formal response from Attorney General Merrick Garland. The silence speaks volumes to many who believe the DOJ is stonewalling on purpose.
Meanwhile, conservative lawmakers have rallied behind Luna. A growing number of Republicans in the House and Senate are voicing support for investigations into the DOJ’s handling of Epstein evidence.
Some have even floated the idea of appointing a special counsel to probe the matter independently. Given the stakes, such a move may be the only path forward to restore public confidence.
This latest scandal further erodes the credibility of an already battered Department of Justice. From the Hunter Biden laptop fiasco to the political targeting of conservatives, the agency has been repeatedly accused of partisanship.
Now, with Epstein documents allegedly destroyed, the DOJ’s credibility is in tatters. Public trust, once broken, is hard to rebuild.
The American people deserve the truth. And if Luna’s allegations are accurate, they deserve justice, no matter how high the guilty parties sit.
