AOC faces ethics complaint over alleged use of over $4,000 for dance training

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has been hit with an ethics complaint over allegations that she spent taxpayer funds on personal dance training. The complaint was filed on Tuesday in the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) by the private watchdog group, Americans for Public Trust.

According to the ethics complaint, Ocasio-Cortez gave $3,700 to a man identified as Juan D. Gonzalez and $850 to Bambazo Dance Co Inc. on December 13, 2024. The expenditures, which were taken from her Member Representational Allowance, were jotted down as "training."

Ocasio-Cortez previously defended the expenditures in question, writing in an X post on March 8: "None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing. Be loud and wrong about something else. Try again next time."

However, the watchdog group claims in the complaint that the congresswoman allegedly violated 31 USC 1301 (a), which states that appropriations may only be used for the purposes for which they were appropriated. The complaint further contends, "The Members' Congressional Handbook provides that the MRA may only be used for official and representational expenses. It may not be used for campaign expenses."

In the request for action, American Public Trust wrote to the OCE: "Representative Ocasio-Cortez has made expenditures from her official office account that she herself contends should have been reported to the FEC, presumably because they were made for campaign purposes. [We] respectfully request that the OCE undertake an investigation to determine the extent to which Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has engaged in prohibited conduct - and pursue any and all penalties which may be warrant and available.

"If it is revealed that Representative Ocasio-Cortez has demonstrated a pattern of using her taxpayer-funded MRA to pay her campaign expenses, we further request a full investigation be commenced by your office," the group said.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show that there are currently no disbursement filings for "Juan D Gonzalez" or "Bambazo Dance Co Inc" made by Ocasio-Cortez's congressional campaign.

Bambazo Dance Co Inc. is a youth dance organization located in The Bronx, according to its website. In December, the company's Facebook page featured a video of Ocasio-Cortez dancing and banging on drums. The congresswoman's district includes The Bronx.

 

The Post Millennial has not been able to verify details surrounding "Juan D. Gonzalez" at the time this piece was published.

The Member Representational Allowance is a fund that the House allocates to its members to assist in payments for official work in their capacity as members of Congress, including staff compensation, travel, rent, printing documents, equipment, and correspondence.