A House Ethics Committee has found that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez underpaid to rent the “Tax the Rich” dress at the 2021 Met Gala. Four years after the fact, the panel determined Friday that the $1,000 the progressive congresswoman paid to rent the outfit wasn’t a fair rate and that she must hand over an additional $2,733.28 to designer Aurora Janes. The finding stems from ethics rules governing the acceptance of gifts by elected representatives, which cover “a gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, forbearance or other item having monetary value.” While the committee concluded Ocasio-Cortez had been mindful of those regulations and that her aides made efforts to explain the rules to the designers, it found Janes “may have lowered costs” nonetheless. Given the buyer’s price for the dress stood at $18,837.30, the committee estimated the rental cost, combined with other fees, should have been $3,724.04, and therefore said “it would be appropriate” for Ocasio-Cortez to pay the additional fees.
Read it at New York Times
