Congresswoman Facing Ethics Complaint
Oh, AOC. Once again, she’s in the spotlight, and not in a way she probably intended. This time, it’s over an ethics complaint about some rather interesting expenses—ones that include dance lessons, drum classes, and a hefty catering bill. And the best part? She might have kicked off the entire investigation herself by clapping back on social media.
Let’s break it down. A government accountability group, Americans for Public Trust, just filed a formal complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). The reason? Two expenses from December 13th of last year: an $850 payment to “Bombazo Dance Co Inc.” and a $3,700 payment to “Juan D Gonzalez.” Then there’s also a $3,384.74 bill from September at “Taco Bamba Shirlington.” All of these showed up in official records, and conservative commentator Paul Szypula didn’t waste any time pointing them out, accusing AOC of blowing taxpayer money on dance classes and lavish meals.
.@AOC got dance lessons on 12/13/2024 from Bombazo Dance Co Inc and made the US taxpayer cover the $850 bill for that “training.”
On the same day there was $3,700 paid to Juan D Gonzalez for more “training.”
Earlier, on 9/18/24, AOC spent $3,384.74 for food at Taco Bamba… pic.twitter.com/RPPVrQhJxR
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) March 8, 2025
Naturally, AOC fired back on X (formerly Twitter), claiming the accusations were “100% wrong” and insisting, “None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing.” Well, that turned out to be a very unfortunate statement, because it wasn’t an FEC filing at all. The expenses were listed in a Statement of Disbursements—a report that details how Congress members use their Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA), which is funded by (you guessed it) taxpayers.
Oops.
That mistake didn’t go unnoticed. Caitlin Sutherland, the executive director of Americans for Public Trust, called AOC out directly in the ethics complaint, saying that either the congresswoman doesn’t know the difference between campaign funds and congressional allowances (which is bad), or she does know and is trying to cover up improper spending (which is worse).
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Szypula and others have pointed out that AOC’s spending habits are highly questionable. In 2024 alone, she had nearly $2 million in taxpayer-funded allowance and spent about $1.8 million of it. The majority of that went to paying her 19 full-time staffers and 3 interns, one of whom—her Deputy Chief of Staff—was reportedly an illegal immigrant.
“Tax the rich” says AOC’s dress … at the Met Gala … where tickets cost $30,000.
But AOC doesn’t mean them; she means you. You’re rich. Because you work. Tax you. That’s the reality. The Met Gala guys get tax breaks. You don’t. pic.twitter.com/awGxEdT2xB
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) September 13, 2021
Yep, you read that right. Naureen Akhter, who took home nearly $146,000 in taxpayer-funded salary, allegedly entered the U.S. illegally. If true, that opens an entirely new can of worms because it suggests AOC could be using taxpayer money to employ more illegal immigrants in government positions.
So now, the ethics complaint isn’t just about dance lessons and tacos—it’s about potentially millions of taxpayer dollars being misused.
Of course, this isn’t AOC’s first run-in with ethics complaints. Remember the infamous 2021 Met Gala stunt, where she showed up in a “Tax the Rich” dress while partying with New York’s elite? That little event led to a complaint over “impermissible gifts.” Nothing really came of it, but it sure was a moment of peak irony.
As for this latest scandal, one big question remains: Will anything actually happen?