AOC’s Dress from Hell Won’t Get Her In Serious Trouble – In a lovely bit of irony, the self-proclaimed “democratic-socialist”, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), has found herself in the middle of House Ethics Committee investigation for having improperly received gifts that she did not pay for.
While there has not been any update for months, here is what we know at the moment.
Specifically, AOC was given jewelry, handbags, and a pricey Brother Vellies couture dress with the words “TAX THE RICH” emblazoned on it in communist red (for the equally chic 2021 New York City Met Gala).
You see, according to the complaint first drawn up by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), the young socialist firebrand, AOC, violated basic House rules by receiving thousands of dollars of gifts from third-party vendors without having properly paid for them. Under House rules, to avoid appearances of impropriety, elected representatives must provide payments for gifts of the kind that AOC and her partner received from third parties.
Like so many controversies surrounding the chic Marxist representative from New York, this particular issue will be a letdown for those hoping to see her political career crash-and-burn. Their only hope is that the investigation into “impermissible gifts” leads to a wider search of AOC’s activities that might unveil greater levels of perfidy. But, even then, such notions are fanciful. It’s not as if elected leaders in Congress haven’t engaged in an assortment of bad behaviors over the years.
While AOC did not follow House rules, that has rarely stopped other Democrats from doing much worse.
Some Other Democrat Scandals That We All Forgot About
Former Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) was admitted that he had a long-time affair with a male bisexual hooker who was also running a gay prostitution ring out of Frank’s congressional apartment. Frank did not suffer any serious consequences to his career. In fact, Frank was elevated. Former Florida Republican Congressman Tom Feeney once told me that Barney Frank was “the smartest” legislator he ever served with. Maybe Feeney knew something that I did not.
Of course, Feeney himself was embroiled with receiving improper gifts from infamous lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Unlike his Democratic Party colleague, though, Feeney’s career and reputation was completely ruined for having taken one Abramoff-funded Congressional trip to Ireland in 2008.
The last Democratic Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), is suspected of having abused her position in government for years to enrich herself by helping her husband, an investor, engage in what amounts to insider trading (to be fair, these accusations have never been proven).
The point with this is that, if you are a Democrat who becomes embroiled in a major scandal while on the Hill, you are likely to be protected. Sure, you might get humiliated. But, that’s part of the parlor trick toward making one immune. Because that’s ultimately what this is an exercise of: making AOC less susceptible to criticism. The Democrats want the investigation to go forward to both ensure that AOC remains beholden to the Democratic Party elite (she will need their help to get out of this mess) while at the same time getting any questions of impropriety out of the way now, before her career really takes off.
Bad Optics and Hypocrisy Just Par for the Course
Of course, the larger problem with this scandal is the imagery.
Here we have an elected representative who makes six-figures-a-year (all taxpayer dollars), receiving thousands of dollars-worth of gifts that she failed to adequately pay for with her high salary, insisting that others “pay their fair share” via increased taxes. The optics are terrible, whether you agree with her political stances or not.
While hypocrisy is never far from politics, in AOC’s case, the presence of such flagrant hypocrisy might remind voters of her insincerity. Since AOC is an issues candidate first (at least that’s how she bills herself), she suffers some embarrassment.
Still, none of this rises to a national scandal that will end her career. As of February, YouGov has rated AOC as possessing 40 percent popularity rating. She has a 49 percent popularity rating among Millennials (who will likely be the most important voting bloc in the United States by the time AOC runs for president), too as of March. Her standing will only increase with this demographic over time.
AOC is Here to Stay
The Republican watchdog groups that brought this issue up are not going to get their desired result. AOC will weather this storm. She will likely come out stronger and more captured by the Democratic Party elite, who want to use her to appeal to the young voters while stunting her radicalism. AOC has already been coopted and her need to seek assistance from the Democratic Party elite in resolving this matter will only ensure she marches harder to their tune—which, of course, she will.
AOC belongs to the class of Left-leaning untouchables who rule over us. They talk like radical Marxists; they pretend to be fighting “for the people” but they serve the interests of Democratic Party megadonors. Thus, a nuisance scandal like this is unlikely to take her down. AOC is far too important to the powers that be in the DNC.
In the increasingly Left-leaning America, AOC’s political future remains bright. This scandal will not destroy her and she will, unfortunately, be a likely contender for the presidency at some point soon.
Just wait for the kinds of hypocrisy and scandals we’ll all be subjected to at that point.
Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who recently became a writer for 19FortyFive.com. Weichert is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as a contributing editor at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower(Republic Book Publishers), The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy (March 28), and Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life (May 16). Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
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