House Ethics Committee Orders Ocasio-Cortez to Pay Additional Costs for Met Gala Appearance
The House Ethics Committee has directed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to make additional payments totaling roughly $3,000 related to her 2021 Met Gala appearance, citing violations of House gift rules due to underreported rental values for the custom outfit she wore.
While Ocasio-Cortez had already reimbursed nearly $1,000 in 2022 for the rental of her “Tax the Rich” dress and accessories, a new report released Friday found that the original estimated costs were well below market value. The panel concluded that the underpayment constituted an improper gift, even though it emphasized the violations were not “knowing and willful.”
The Ethics Committee said Ocasio-Cortez must pay an additional $2,733.28 to bring the rental value of the ensemble designed by Brother Vellies up to the fair market estimate of $3,724.04. The report also instructed her to make a $250 donation to the Met’s Costume Institute to cover the cost of her fiancé’s meal at the event.
Ocasio-Cortez had already paid for other expenses related to the gala including hair, makeup, transportation, and lodging totaling approximately $7,500. With the additional payments, her total personal cost for attending the Met Gala will exceed $10,000, according to her legal team.
Her office responded to the ruling with acceptance. “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,” said Chief of Staff Mike Casca. “She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she’s done at each step in this process.”
The panel acknowledged that Ocasio-Cortez took “significant steps” to comply with the House’s ethics guidelines and that her presence at the event itself was permitted. However, it criticized her team’s initial cost estimates, stating they were based on flawed comparisons.
Specifically, the committee rejected the use of data from the clothing rental service Rent the Runway to justify the low rental cost of a one-of-a-kind designer gown. “The comparison of a one-of-a-kind, custom-made designer gown to those sold commercially and rented to numerous individuals on Rent the Runway is simply inapposite,” the report stated.
The investigation also revealed that the true cost to produce the custom dress was approximately $6,279.10, and the estimated fair market rental value should have been closer to $2,976.29. The panel further found that a custom floral hairpiece worn by Ocasio-Cortez had not been included in the original invoices and determined she should pay an additional $36.71 for that accessory.
The Ethics Committee concluded that while there were delays in payment and inaccuracies in cost reporting, Ocasio-Cortez had not been personally aware of the full extent of the issues and made consistent efforts to address them once identified. With these final reimbursements, the committee said the matter would be considered resolved.