Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is facing a potential ethics scandal over her marital status, according to a recent report. The report reveals that AOC has referred to her fiancé, Riley Roberts, as her spouse in four separate forms filed with the House Ethics Committee. The committee defines a spouse as someone to whom you are legally married, and this raises questions about AOC’s marital status.
The report, authored by Andrew Kerr, points out that AOC’s filings with the House Ethics Committee mention Roberts as her spouse a total of 161 times. This suggests that AOC may have been presenting Roberts as her husband. However, if she is legally married to Roberts, his finances would be subject to public scrutiny. Strangely, AOC did not include any of his assets in her financial filings, raising further suspicions.
AOC’s spokesperson, Lauren Hitt, denied that AOC and Roberts are legally married. But this statement seems to conflict with the evidence presented in the filings. This raises concerns about whether AOC is deliberately trying to cheat the system and avoid public disclosure of her spouse’s finances.
The report also highlights a possible conflict of interest on AOC’s part. Filings related to AOC’s overseas travels suggest that she and Roberts have been legally married since January 2023. If this is the case, AOC can no longer take advantage of the so-called boyfriend loophole, which allows unmarried partners to evade public disclosure of their finances.
This discrepancy becomes even more significant in light of AOC’s public image as a champion of congressional ethics. She introduced legislation in May to ban her colleagues and their spouses from trading stocks, but if AOC remains unmarried to Roberts, he would not be subject to these new rules. This has led to accusations of hypocrisy, as AOC seems unwilling to close the boyfriend loophole that benefits her own partner.
The question of what AOC is hiding arises, especially given her outspokenness about not owning stocks or crypto. While she has made a point of abstaining from such investments to maintain ethical impartiality, it remains unknown if Roberts owns any stocks or crypto. AOC’s office has refused to provide the answer.
The news of this scandal has not gone unnoticed on social media, with users making jokes and comments at AOC’s expense. However, the implications of this issue go beyond mere humor. It raises concerns about whether AOC is truly committed to the values she espouses and whether she is using her position to benefit herself and her partner.
As this scandal continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how AOC will address these allegations and whether she will take steps to close the boyfriend loophole that has shielded her spouse’s finances from public disclosure. The public will be watching closely to see if AOC practices what she preaches when it comes to transparency and ethics in Congress.
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