Democrat Liberal Superstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Caught Up in Election Money Scandal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Democrat National Committees rising star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was hit Thursday with an ethics complaint for listing her live-in boyfriend as a staff member and getting him an official House email address.

The liberal superstar violated at least two provisions of the House Code of Official Conduct and possibly U.S. criminal law by making false statements about boyfriend Riley Roberts being a staff member, according to the complaint by the conservative Coolidge Reagan Foundation.

“AOC has gotten away with utter hypocrisy for far too long. The Coolidge Reagan Foundation will do whatever it takes to expose AOC’s transgressions and hold her accountable,” said Shaun McCutcheon, the chairman of the foundation. “We’re going to actively monitor AOC’s campaign finance reports and congressional actions to push back on her un-American, anti-speech agenda.”

Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, has denied any wrongdoing and accused conservative groups of targeting her.

The congresswoman’s office has said that Mr. Roberts is not a staff member and receives the same benefits as spouses, including a House email address.

The ethics complaint follows two complaints with the Federal Election Commission over Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign finance practices.

Questions about the treatment of Mr. Roberts and the campaign finances of the Ocasio-Cortez campaign were first raised by Republican political consultant Luke Thompson.

The freshman congresswoman’s conservative critics take delight in her alleged missteps because she presents herself as a working-class champion against corrupting influence of money and special interests.

The Coolidge Reagan Foundation filed an FEC complaint alleging campaign money was funneled to Mr. Roberts through a political action committee.

The National Legal and Policy Center filed an FEC complaint alleging that her chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, illegally shuffled more than $1 million in campaign donations between his political action committees and consulting firms, which were instrumental in electing Ms. Ocasio-Cortez.

Mr. Chakrabarti, a Silicon Valley tech millionaire, was the architect of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s long-shot election win before joining her on Capitol Hill.

His political organizations, Brand New Congress PAC and Brand New Congress LLC, also are at the center of the payments to Mr. Roberts.

By S.A. Miller