Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is facing new scrutiny from the House Committee on Ethics for misrepresenting her fiancé, Riley Roberts, as both her “spouse” and “non-spouse” on official filings, enabling him to receive perks reserved exclusively for congressional spouses, as reported by The Daily Mail.
The ethics committee’s July 2025 report revealed that Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, listed Roberts as her “spouse” on travel documents related to her controversial appearance at the 2021 Met Gala, despite not being legally married to him.
NEW: Ethics panel orders AOC to pay $3,000 over 2021 Met Gala appearance in “Tax the Rich” dress
The Ethics Committee said she had tried to comply with House rules on accepting gifts but failed by “impermissibly accepting a gift of free admission to the 2021 Met Gala for her… pic.twitter.com/oRtJFRBvww
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) July 25, 2025
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The same report pointed out that she did not list him as a spouse on her required financial disclosures, which would have triggered mandatory reporting of Roberts’ financial assets.
“The Committee further notes that at the same time Representative Ocasio-Cortez was seeking to take advantage of exceptions to the Gift Rule only applicable to spouses and/or certain relatives, she was not disclosing Mr. Roberts’s financial interests,” the committee wrote.
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One benefit Roberts received was a congressional spouse pin, granting him access to restricted areas of the Capitol. The committee confirmed Roberts had received the pin as early as 2019, shortly after Ocasio-Cortez was sworn in.
Although her attorney, David Mitrani, argued that Roberts was not legally a spouse and therefore exempt from financial disclosures, the committee found inconsistencies in Ocasio-Cortez’s filings and usage of the term “spouse” to bypass gift rules while shielding Roberts from financial transparency.
As most of us remember vividly, AOC wore a “Tax the Rich” dress to a $30K Met Gala… but now we’re finding out that she didn’t pay for the dress, the styling, or her boyfriend’s meal.
House Ethics just confirmed she violated House Gift Rule policy by accepting thousands in… pic.twitter.com/8IEYrerJ5x
— Krista Monroe (@MsKristaMonroe) July 26, 2025
Additionally, the committee criticized Ocasio-Cortez’s acceptance of thousands of dollars in goods related to the Met Gala, including her now-infamous “Tax the Rich” dress and accompanying accessories.
She was ordered to pay $2,700 to settle outstanding costs, which the committee stated would close the matter. The report noted she has been cooperative during the investigation.
Wintour personally invited Ocasio-Cortez and Roberts to the Met Gala, which the committee acknowledged while cautioning that such invitations raise questions under congressional gift regulations.
HOLY F’CK
(AOC) owes tens of thousands of dollars
She never paid the (35K) on the “Tax the Rich” dress…her ticket to get into the Met Gala and even the jewelry she had on
Theft of service over ($1K) dollars is a felony…this should be referred to the (DOJ)
EXPEL (AOC) pic.twitter.com/5mxiZZ0Lei
— @Chicago1Ray (@Chicago1Ray) July 25, 2025
Ocasio-Cortez and Roberts have been engaged since April 2022 and have lived together since 2016. They met while attending Boston University.
Despite the controversy, Ocasio-Cortez continues to attract national attention. She has been floated as a possible challenger to Sen. Chuck Schumer in the 2026 New York Senate primary, and as a potential 2028 presidential contender.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) told Fox News he expects Ocasio-Cortez to challenge Schumer, saying, “Frankly, I’m looking forward to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez primarying him very soon.”
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