A new allegation is swirling around Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and this one has some serious questions attached to it. A government accountability nonprofit, Americans for Public Trust (APT), has sent a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) claiming that AOC may have used taxpayer funds from her official congressional budget for, of all things, dance classes.
According to the letter, Ocasio-Cortez’s office allegedly made two payments—one for $3,700 to an individual named Juan D. Gonzalez and another for $850 to Bombazo Dance Co Inc.—with both expenses labeled as “training.” APT is arguing that these payments might have violated federal law, since congressional allowances are supposed to be used for official duties, not personal or campaign-related expenses. If true, this could be a serious misuse of taxpayer money.
Now, AOC isn’t exactly taking this allegation quietly. She fired back on social media, insisting that the claim is “100% wrong.” According to her, the payments in question were reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), not Congress, which would mean they came from campaign funds rather than taxpayer dollars. “None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Be loud and wrong about something else. Try again next time.”
So what’s really going on here? That’s the big question. On one hand, if these payments were indeed made using campaign funds, then AOC’s defense holds up—although it still raises eyebrows about why a congressional campaign needs to cover dance training. On the other hand, if APT is correct and the payments came from her official Member Representational Allowance (MRA), that would be a major ethics violation.
The key issue here is transparency. If everything is above board, why is a government watchdog group flagging these payments in the first place? And why did AOC respond with such a vague dismissal rather than producing clear records to prove her point?
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time questions have been raised about AOC’s financial dealings. From her Met Gala dress scandal to past campaign finance complaints, she has faced scrutiny before. Whether this latest allegation holds any weight remains to be seen.
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