Look who’s back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the self-proclaimed champion of the people, is now facing allegations that she may have dipped into taxpayer funds for campaign-related expenses. And naturally, instead of addressing the issue head-on, she took to social media to fire off a defensive—and, according to some, misleading—response. Because nothing says “I’ve done nothing wrong” like an angry tweet.
Americans for Public Trust (APT), a watchdog organization that actually keeps an eye on how politicians spend your money, has officially filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). Their concern? That AOC’s office may have improperly used taxpayer dollars from her Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA) to cover expenses that should have been paid with campaign funds. Specifically, two payments caught their attention: $3,700 to someone named “Juan D Gonzalez” and $850 to “Bombazo Dance Co Inc.,” both labeled as “training.”
Now, forgive the skepticism, but what exactly is this training? Dance lessons? Media coaching? Some kind of progressive re-education camp? Whatever it is, APT isn’t buying that these expenses were official congressional business. House rules are pretty clear: taxpayer dollars can’t be used for campaign activities. Yet here we are.
In response to the allegations, AOC did what she does best—she hopped on X (formerly Twitter) and declared, “100% wrong. None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing. Be loud and wrong about something else.” Ah, the classic deflection strategy. Just loudly insist your critics are wrong, offer no real evidence, and hope the media carries water for you. And, let’s be honest, they probably will.
APT, however, isn’t letting her off the hook so easily. Their letter suggests that either AOC genuinely doesn’t understand the difference between campaign funds and congressional allowances (which, given her economic takes, isn’t far-fetched) or she knows full well that these payments shouldn’t have come from taxpayer dollars and is scrambling to cover her tracks. If it’s the latter, that’s a pretty big deal—because misusing congressional funds can lead to some serious legal consequences, including criminal charges.
This isn’t exactly new territory for Ocasio-Cortez. Ethics concerns have followed her throughout her time in Congress. Remember the whole Met Gala fiasco? The one where she showed up in a designer dress with “Tax the Rich” plastered across it, while attending an event filled with—you guessed it—the rich? That little stunt led to an ethics probe over whether she improperly accepted gifts. So, it’s not exactly a stretch to think she might have a bit of a habit when it comes to bending the rules.
🚨BREAKING: BREAKING: The Americans for Public Trust organization has filed an ethics complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics.
They’re raising questions over several troubling expenses connected to AOC’s disbursements, asserting that these may potentially violate… pic.twitter.com/LZi5X4VPJT
— 🇺🇸 Larry 🇺🇸 (@LarryDJonesJr) March 11, 2025
The timing of all this is also interesting. With the 2024 election cycle heating up, expect this to become yet another flashpoint in the ongoing battle over government transparency and accountability. Of course, if this were a Republican under fire for potentially misusing taxpayer funds, the mainstream media would be running wall-to-wall coverage, demanding resignations, and calling it a scandal of historic proportions. But since it’s AOC? Well, let’s just say the usual double standard is alive and well.
Meanwhile, APT’s executive director, Caitlin Sutherland, is pushing for a full investigation, and rightly so. If Ocasio-Cortez has been using taxpayer money to fund campaign-related expenses, that’s not just unethical—it’s illegal. And if there’s a pattern of this behavior, it raises the question: how much more is there that hasn’t been caught yet?
WATCH: @Varneyco highlights our ethics complaint against AOC.
There must be consequences for those who misuse taxpayer funds. pic.twitter.com/OtiuLWvED2
— Americans for Public Trust (@apublictrust) March 12, 2025
This is about something bigger than just AOC. It’s about whether the people in power are held to the same standards as the rest of us. Regular Americans don’t get to misappropriate funds and just tweet their way out of trouble. There’s a reason we have ethics rules in place—to prevent exactly this kind of behavior. Now, the only question is whether anyone in Washington will actually enforce them.
