Nonprofit watchdog group Americans for Public Trust filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Tuesday, asking the Office for Congressional Ethics (COE) to investigate "troubling expenses" the congresswoman made from her taxpayer-funded account to a dance company and another individual.

Ocasio-Cortez paid $3700 to Juan D. Gonzalez and $850 to Bombazo Dance Company from her Member Representational Allowance ("MRA"), which is for professional duties only, not personal or campaign expenses.

Ocasio-Cortez defended herself on X, claiming, "100% wrong. None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing. Be loud and wrong about something else. Try again next time."

But the filing addresses her defense and provides numbers to back it up.

"Training"

She claimed the payments were for "training," but didn't specify what kind of training or what its purpose was.

Ocasio-Cortez's "assertion that these expenses are ‘an FEC filing,’ and not reflective of her MRA – as well as her claim that '[n]one of this is taxpayer money' – is both troubling and obviously incorrect," the filing stated.

"Either she does not know the difference between her campaign funds and MRA, or, more likely, she knows the highlighted expenses were not for official business and should have been paid by her campaign and reported to the FEC."

"Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s troubling payments from her taxpayer funded account for activities such as dance classes should be investigated," executive director of Americans for Public Trust Caitlin Sutherland said. "In the era of reining in government spending, the American people deserve to know lawmakers are being good stewards of their tax dollars."

Not the first time

It's not the first time Ocasio-Cortez has been investigated on ethical complaints since being elected to the House in 2019.

In 2023, she faced allegations that she took "impermissible gifts associated with her attendance at the Met Gala in 2021."

She wore a white designer dress with "Tax the Rich" emblazoned across it in red handwriting, which was gifted to her for free along with her admission ticket--a $30,000 value.

She also got a handbag, shoes, jewelry, makeup and hair services, along with transportation to and from the event.

Ocasio-Cortez claims she paid for the items, or at least rental values for those she later returned, like the dress.

A report from the COE at the time said, "While Rep. Ocasio-Cortez appears to have now paid for the rental value of the attire she wore to the Met Gala and for the goods and services she and her partner received in connection with this September 2021 event, payment for these goods and services did not occur until after the OCE contacted her in connection with this review."