AOC’s marital status raises House Ethics concerns, conflicting reports.
Report Raises Questions About AOC’s Relationship Status and Financial Disclosures
According to a recent report from The Washington Free Beacon, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s office claims that she has never been married. However, the report reveals that she has identified her fiancé, Riley Roberts, as her “spouse” on various forms filed with the House Ethics Committee.
The report, written by investigative journalist Andrew Kerr, highlights forms related to Ocasio-Cortez’s official travel in 2022 and 2023, where Roberts is listed as her “spouse.” Additionally, her financial disclosure statements also refer to Roberts as her ”spouse,” but his finances are not disclosed.
If AOC is indeed married, her spouse’s finances are now subject to public disclosure.
But she did not disclose any of Roberts’s reportable stock holdings, assets, or income on her latest financial disclosure, though she did make two references to her “spouse” in the filing. pic.twitter.com/USREG8xvdI
— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) September 13, 2023
The issue at hand is straightforward: if Ocasio-Cortez and Roberts are not legally married, then Roberts cannot be listed as her “spouse” on official travel forms. Conversely, if they are married, Roberts must disclose his finances in accordance with House rules.
When questioned about the discrepancy, Ocasio-Cortez’s office stated that they have never been legally married. However, spokeswoman Lauren Hitt dismissed the criticism, arguing that ”House Ethics has commonly recognized the term spouse to extend to long-term partners.”
Contrary to Hitt’s claim, the House Ethics Committee explicitly defines marriage as a legal union. The report suggests that Hitt may have been referring to the Office of Congressional Ethics, which considers long-term romantic partners to be “synonymous with a spouse.” Nevertheless, the committee’s definition governs the matter.
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The report also raises the question of why Roberts is considered Ocasio-Cortez’s “spouse” for travel purposes but not for financial disclosures. As long as they remain unmarried, Roberts is exempt from financial disclosure requirements due to the “boyfriend loophole.”
“If they were married, then she would be required to disclose his finances on her 2022 financial disclosure,” explained Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust. “There is no exception to this rule.”
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