Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) was accused of misusing $4,550 in taxpayer funds on dance "training," the New York Post reports.
Americans for Public Trust, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that describes itself as being "dedicated to restoring trust in government by holding politicians and political groups accountable for corrupt and unethical behavior," accused Ocasio-Cortez, 35, of using Member Representational Allowance to pay $3,700 to "Juan D Gonzalez" and $50 to "Bombazo Dance Co Inc" for what was described as dance "training" in December 2024.
The organization sent a complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics arguing that Ocasio-Cortez's use of the funds was “contravention of federal law and the standards of the House of Representatives.” The congresswoman downplayed concerns over the two payments, claiming they were campaign expenses.
“100% wrong. None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing. Be loud and wrong about something else. Try again next time,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on her X account in response to the allegations.
The New York Post said it looked into but was unable to find the 'Juan D Gonzalez' or 'Bombazo Dance Co Inc' listed in any Federal Election Commission records of congressional campaign disbursements made by Ocasio-Cortez. Americans for Public Trust argued that the congresswoman's claim that the payments were made through campaign funds supports its claim that they were misappropriated, referencing a section in the 1,120-page list of House disbursements between October 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024.
“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,” the organization wrote in its complaint. “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.”
Bombazo Dance Co Inc. is a youth dance organization based in the Bronx, which is part of Ocasio-Cortez's district, though details about the 'Juan D Gonzalez' who allegedly received payments were unclear.