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“Spouse” or Not? AOC Under Fire for Alleged Misuse of Congressional Perks
Daily Fetched ^ | August 05, 2025 | Jason Walsh

Posted on 08/05/2025 9:55:31 AM PDT by Red Badger

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is under fire from the House Committee on Ethics for misrepresenting her fiancé, Riley Roberts, as both her “spouse” and “non-spouse” on official filings—allowing him to receive perks reserved exclusively for congressional spouses.

Last month, the Ethics Committee’s July 2025 report revealed that Ocasio-Cortez listed Roberts as her “spouse” on travel documents related to her controversial appearance at the 2021 Met Gala, despite not being legally married to him.

The same report highlighted that she failed to list him as a spouse on her required financial disclosures, which would have triggered mandatory reporting of Roberts’ financial assets.

“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,” the committee wrote.

One of the benefits Roberts received was a congressional spouse pin, giving him access to restricted areas of the Capitol.

The committee confirmed that Roberts had received the pin as early as 2019, shortly after Ocasio-Cortez was sworn in.

While Ocasio-Cortez’s attorney, David Mitrani, argued that Roberts was not legally a spouse and therefore exempt from financial disclosures, the committee found inconsistencies in Ocasio-Cortez’s filings and usage of the term “spouse” to bypass gift rules while shielding Roberts from financial transparency.

The committee also criticized Ocasio-Cortez’s acceptance of thousands of dollars in goods related to the Met Gala, including the now-infamous “Tax the Rich” dress and accompanying accessories.

She was later ordered to pay $2,700 to settle outstanding costs.

The report noted she has been cooperative during the investigation.

Anna Wintour personally invited Ocasio-Cortez and Roberts to the Met Gala, which the committee acknowledged while cautioning that such invitations raise questions under congressional gift regulations.

Ocasio-Cortez and Roberts have been engaged since April 2022 and have lived together since 2016.

Despite the controversy, Ocasio-Cortez continues to attract national attention and has even been floated as a possible challenger to Sen. Chuck Schumer in the 2026 New York Senate primary, and as a potential 2028 presidential contender.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said he expects Ocasio-Cortez to challenge Schumer, stating, “Frankly, I’m looking forward to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez primarying him very soon.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: anotheraocthread; bloggers; fraud; incel12; nonspouse; rentfreeonfr; spouse
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To: broken_clock

LOL!!!


21 posted on 08/05/2025 10:27:52 AM PDT by Ciaphas Cain
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To: 9YearLurker

“”””She’s awful, but “spouse” benefits are bogus—and if they have them, single people should be offered equivalents.””””

That would be sleazy and more degradation of American culture, a wife or husband is different than a girlfriend or buddy, do you want that across the board for government jobs?


22 posted on 08/05/2025 10:32:13 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: bray
Everyone knows you launder the bribes through your spouse.

Let's start the list:

Clinton

Pelosi

McConnell

23 posted on 08/05/2025 10:34:36 AM PDT by HIDEK6 (God bless Donald Trump)
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To: desertsolitaire

Common Law marriage means you are claiming to be married.


24 posted on 08/05/2025 10:36:27 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: ansel12

Equal pay for equal work.

Personal circumstances shouldn’t be counted in.


25 posted on 08/05/2025 10:37:06 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: Red Badger

In woke world: “Some days I love him, some days I don’t and I reflect that in how I identify him.”


26 posted on 08/05/2025 10:39:07 AM PDT by IamConservative (I was nervous like the third chimp in line for the Ark after the rain started.)
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To: 9YearLurker

So that is a yes to the military and all government jobs.

You want everyone given the status of wife for widow benefits, pensions, Social Security, out of state moves, separate rations and off base living for GIs, out of country transfers, a complete over turning of traditional America and common sense, and even monetary concerns.


27 posted on 08/05/2025 10:41:40 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: HIDEK6

Biden


28 posted on 08/05/2025 10:42:07 AM PDT by bray (It's not racist to be racist against races the DNC hates.)
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To: Red Badger
In Alexandria Occasional-Cortex's defense, the forms didn't have a box for Simp.
29 posted on 08/05/2025 10:46:08 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: Red Badger

I foresee a drunken romp with a homeless dude wielding a hammer...


30 posted on 08/05/2025 10:49:51 AM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (There are no more conspiracy theories, only questions that further the truth.)
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To: ansel12

None of that crap is relevant to employee perks.

Single women were underpaid probably for at least 100 years in America with the assumption that men were supporting a family.

Then we got to equality. Now it has gone funky in the other direction with, for example, something like 6 months of full pay for “parental leave”.

Just pay people for their work. Other stuff in terms of government benefits (e.g., SS for women who stay home raising families) should be sorted out separately.


31 posted on 08/05/2025 10:51:13 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: stanne
That is BS. My friends’ kids do this crap

She's a perpetual adolescent. This is the best she can do.
32 posted on 08/05/2025 10:53:16 AM PDT by Antoninus (Republicans are all honorable men.)
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To: Red Badger

FRAUD. Prosecute the wench!


33 posted on 08/05/2025 10:55:18 AM PDT by vpintheak (Screw the ChiComms! America first!)
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To: Red Badger

She called him her spouse
But he’s just a weak louse
Lying around in her house
Not a man, just a mouse.

AOC: So if you’re not a grift enabler for me what good are you? Pack up your video stuff and get out.


34 posted on 08/05/2025 10:58:38 AM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: 9YearLurker

Always with the feminist stuff, aside from the vast impossibility of the increase of costs, you want the family compensations and widow’s pensions universal for non-married and married as well?

If a E-7 with a wife and three kids get this, then a guy and his three roommates should qualify for the same compensation?

What effect do you think all these whacky ideas of yours would have on the military?


35 posted on 08/05/2025 11:01:02 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: desertsolitaire

Don’t know the laws involved, but whatever they are she should be consistent...............


36 posted on 08/05/2025 11:04:25 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: ansel12

The old claim was that “2 can live as cheaply as 1”, so by your logic someone who is married would be paid only 50% of someone who is single.

We cover stay-at-home mothers via government-structured SS benefits, and in employment employees can opt to purchase family as opposed to individual health insurance.

The answer is equal pay for equal work, and if we want subsidies otherwise, they can be handled via government programs.


37 posted on 08/05/2025 11:06:27 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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She’s grasping. It’s a sign that in her mind, she’s not becoming a multi-millionaire fast enough through typical Washington DC grift relative to all of the others around her.


38 posted on 08/05/2025 11:11:14 AM PDT by Buck-Toothed Knuckle Dragger
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To: 9YearLurker

You make some goofy statement and try to use that as a meaningful argument for the silliness you are trying to sell, which sounds like some goofy libertarian party fantasy?

I asked you, how do you handle the military as an example, and why do you think America has never thought of your idea?


39 posted on 08/05/2025 11:12:03 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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She is what our British friends would call a ‘chancer’.


40 posted on 08/05/2025 11:12:53 AM PDT by Buck-Toothed Knuckle Dragger
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