Thread by @AndrewKerrNC

NEW: The House Ethics Committee has rebuked @AOC for simultaneously claiming her longtime partner, Riley Roberts, is and isn't her "spouse."

This has allowed AOC to grant her "spouse" special perks and freebies while also shielding his financial affairs from the public.

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The Ethics Committee buried its rebuke of AOC deep in the footnotes of its July report finding she violated House Rules in her attendance of the 2021 Met Gala:

"The Committee also found evidence that Representative Ocasio-Cortez listed Mr. Roberts as her “spouse” on paperwork filed with the House relating to privately sponsored travel, although the two were not legally married at the time of the gifted travel."

"The Committee further notes that at the same time Representative Ocasio-Cortez was seeking to take advantage of exceptions to the Gift Rule only applicable to spouses and/or certain relatives, she was not disclosing Mr. Roberts's financial interests as is required of Members who are legally married."

How did we get here?

AOC's attorney, David Mitrani, explained in no uncertain terms in a May 16 letter to the House Ethics Committee that Roberts is considered AOC's "spouse" only in the context of federal campaign finance law, but NOT for financial disclosure requirements.

Under this interpretation, AOC has granted her "spouse" several freebies and perks connected to her service as a member of Congress, including:

A free ticket worth $35,000 to attend the 2021 Met Gala

Gifted travel to Japan and South Korea in 2023

and a Congressional "Spouse Pin," which grants Roberts access to parts of the Capitol complex not accessible to the public.

There are drawbacks to being a congressional spouse, though.

That includes public disclosure of their financial affairs.

But Roberts isn't subjected to those drawbacks, AOC's attorney said, because under "financial disclosure guidance, Mr. Roberts is not considered a spouse"

That means it's unclear if or where Roberts is employed, his debts, his assets, or if he buys or trades stocks in companies that fall under AOC's congressional jurisdiction.

This is information that every other congressional spouse publicly discloses. Except for AOC's.

Other spousal restrictions could soon be implemented if AOC has her way and passes her bill which would ban congressional spouses from buying or selling stocks.

It's a severe restriction that would apply to every congressional spouse with one exception: AOC's own "spouse"

Federal laws require the spouses of lawmakers to disclose their financial affairs to the public to prevent them from profiting from their partner's position or being used as a pass-through to influence legislation.

Though AOC considers Roberts her "spouse," he's exempt from all those rules. So long as he and AOC remain legally unmarried.

Which brings us to the status of AOC's engagement to Roberts.

The pair announced their engagement in 2022.

But there's no evidence they've tied the knot, and AOC hasn't been pictured wearing her engagement ring in public since November 2023

freebeacon.com/democrats/marr…

But Roberts and AOC still live together -- they voted out of the same address in the November 2024 elections.

And they still spend time together. Just yesterday, AOC posted an Instagram Story with her and Roberts visiting a NYC restaurant.

Ethics experts are now questioning whether AOC is intentionally delaying her legal marriage to Riley Roberts because one or both of them have something to hide from the public.

"It is fair to question her inconsistent treatment of Roberts as her spouse, and specifically whether this is in an attempt to not disclose financial information," said Kendra Arnold of @factdc

Full story below:
freebeacon.com/democrats/hous…