Radical celebrity Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has admitted to violating the congressional rules on financial disclosures, according to reports.
Ocasio-Cortez openly admitted to the violation through her spokeswoman.
AOC was due to report her 2021 finances to the House Ethics Committee 11 days ago on August 13.
However, the public remains in the dark as to the status of the New York congresswoman’s finances as of Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the socialist lawmaker said Ocasio-Cortez feels no rush to file her disclosure as required by federal law.
She argues that she can wait another 20 days before risking a fine.
“The committee provides a 30-day grace period before fines are levied,” Ocasio-Cortez communications director Lauren Hitt told the Washington Examiner.
“The congresswoman plans to file before the period expires.
Ocasio-Cortez said in April that American democracy is undermined when lawmakers are merely perceived to have acted improperly in regard to their personal finances.
Almost all members of the House have reported their 2021 financial disclosures as required by federal law as of Wednesday morning.
The disclosures are publicly available for review on the House Clerk’s website.
Ocasio-Cortez is one of only 10 members of the House that have yet to file their 2021 financial disclosure.
Almost all members of the lower chamber were required to submit the filing no later than August 13.
Other notable lawmakers who have yet to file their 2021 disclosures include Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and outgoing Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI).
The fine AOC would face if she’s more than 30 days late filing her financial disclosure is minor — just $200.
However, it’s not the first time the lawmaker has exploited the 30-day grace period to delay publicly disclosing her finances without financial penalty.
Ocasio-Cortez filed her 2019 financial disclosure precisely 30 days late in September 2020, just barely avoiding a House Ethics Committee fine.
“Not only is she an admitted scofflaw — she’s a repeat offender,” said Paul Kamenar, an attorney for the National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative ethics watchdog group.
“One must wonder whether she also files her income tax returns past the deadlines.”
“Just like AOC did in 2020 when she filed her 2019 disclosure report 30 days late after the 90-day extension, she’s at it again, blowing off the deadline for filing her 2021 filing that was due on Aug. 13,” Kamenar added.
Ocasio-Cortez’s cavalier attitude toward disclosing her own finances to the public runs counter to her prior statements in regard to her colleague’s finances.
She has repeatedly called to outlaw members of Congress from trading stocks.
AOC argues that even the perception that lawmakers are trading on insider information gleaned from their positions poses an existential threat to democracy.
Members of Congress should not be allowed to own individual stock.
We are here to serve the public, not to profiteer. It’s shocking that it’s even been allowed up to this point.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 20, 2020
“We are also tackling a crisis of faith in our institutions in the United States, and that exploitation of that crisis of faith is a direct threat to our democracy,” Ocasio-Cortez said during an April press conference in which she called for a congressional stock-trading ban.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that we eliminate, again, that perception of impropriety because it is these perceptions that can be exploited to undermine our most sacred institutions,” she added.
Ocasio-Cortez disclosed last year that her net worth was between $3,000 and $45,000 as of the end of 2020.
She reported owning no stocks.
Kamenar suggested that Ocasio-Cortez could be delayed in filing her 2021 disclosure because of alleged ethical concerns surrounding her appearance at the Met Gala in September 2021, during which the Tesla-driving socialist lawmaker wore a designer dress that featured the phrase “Tax the Rich.”
The NLPC filed a complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics in September 2021 alleging that Ocasio-Cortez accepted impermissible gifts related to the event, including the designer dress she wore, limo rides, and professional hairstylist expenses.
Kamenar said lawmakers are required to disclose any gifts they received, legal or not, in their annual financial disclosure statements.
Ocasio-Cortez secured her renomination as the Democratic candidate for New York’s 14th Congressional District on Tuesday evening after running unopposed in the primary.
She is expected to win reelection in November with ease as her district leans heavily blue.
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