In recent remarks to the Washington Examiner, a spokesman for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez admitted that the congresswoman has opted to disregard rules regarding congressional financial disclosure.
According to Communications Director Lauren Hitt, Ocasio-Cortez does not feel inclined to file her disclosure in the manner prescribed by federal law because she apparently can wait up to twenty more days to file before incurring a fine.
“The Committee provides a 30-day grace period before fines are levied,” Hitt explained, “the Congresswoman plans to file before the period expires.”
Though representatives were required to report their 2021 finances by August 13 to the House Ethics Committee, Ocasio-Cortez’s statements were noticeably missing.
Despite Ocasio-Cortez blowing off financial disclosures, virtually all other members of the House have reported their 2021 financial disclosures, which are available to review on the official website for the House Clerk.
A total of ten members of the House have yet to file their financial disclosures, including Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas.
However, unlike the other representatives, Ocasio-Cortez has been remarkably vocal regarding public representatives’ potential abuse of the system, arguing about the importance of public trust and perception.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that we eliminate, again, that perception of impropriety because it is these perceptions that can be exploited to undermine our most sacred institutions,” the Democrat representative blared during a press conference in April.
The most recent lapse is hardly the first time that the congresswoman has blown off her obligations regarding public financial disclosures.
In 2020, for instance, Ocasio-Cortez filed her 2019 financial disclosures exactly 30 days late, which enabled her to avoid paying a fine.
Paul Kamenar, an attorney for the National Legal and Policy Center, is decidedly unimpressed with Ocasio-Cortez’s antics, as evident in his remarks to the Washington Examiner.
“Not only is she an admitted scofflaw, she’s a repeat offender,” Kamenar remarked wryly.
Last year, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that her net worth ranged between $3,000 and $45,000, and she also insisted she owned no stocks. Nonetheless, she continues to file her financial disclosures late for reasons unknown.
“One must wonder whether she also files her income tax returns past the deadlines,” Kamenar added.
