It was just announced that Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is now under an ethics investigation in the House.
Chair Susan Wild (D-Penns.) and Ranking Member Michael Guest (R-Miss.) of the House Ethics Committee released a statement saying the committee is investigating AOC over an inquiry that was forwarded to them from the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics.
Here’s the statement:
According to Forbes, when the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics “forwards an investigation, it’s because it has reason to believe an ethics law was broken.”
It sounds serious, but they haven’t given any indication what this is about. We’ll certainly update you when we know more.
In the meantime, you’ll enjoy this tweet response:
Why are they so obsessed? I can only guess the Ethics committee wants to date her.
— Admiral James T. Nemo (@CEdward79) December 7, 2022
UPDATE: Fox News Chad Pergram explains more about this process below and says this does seem serious. He also suggests it could have something to do AOC with accepting tickets to the Metropolitan Museum’s gala in 2021:
1) The House Ethics Committee has announced it will “extend the matter” regarding Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Furthermore, the committee says it will take up the issue in the next Congress once the Ethics Committee is comprised.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 7, 2022
2) From a very technical standpoint, this means that the Ethics Committee is in fact looking at Ocasio-Cortez. But what is absent from today’s news is whether the committee decides to empanel an “investigative subcommittee.” That is the Congressional equivalent of an indictment.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 7, 2022
3) That means the committee really believes someone may have done wrong and there is a full-blown investigation into the lawmaker’s conduct.
That could happen next year. But not today.
We also don’t know precisely what the Ethics Committee is probing.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 7, 2022
4) That said, an outside group filed an ethics complaint against Ocasio-Cortez with the quasi-official “Office of Congressional Ethics” or “OCE.” The OCE is compelled to take up ANY complaint from any citizen – and potentially refer it to the ACTUAL Ethics Committee.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 7, 2022
5) That appears to be what happened here. The regular Ethics Committee can then decide to take up the matter or dismiss it.
In this instance, the Ethics Committee decided to “extend the matter.”
That means there is some degree of seriousness here.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 7, 2022
6) The American Accountability Foundation asked the OCE to look into Ocasio-Cortez accepting tickets to the Metropolitan Museum’s gala in 2021. But we don’t know if this is connected.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 7, 2022