Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex (D-NY) who has said “perception of impropriety” undermines Congress is again late filing her required financial disclosure forms.
Since 1978, members of Congress have been required to file annual reports describing their financial worth and major transactions. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has missed the deadline for filing the latest required disclosure form, which follows a pattern of similar past behavior.
The Washington Examiner further reported:
Ocasio-Cortez was due to report her 2021 finances to the House Ethics Committee 11 days ago on Aug. 13. However, the public remains in the dark as to the status of Ocasio-Cortez’s finances as of Wednesday morning, and a spokeswoman for the New York lawmaker said Ocasio-Cortez feels no rush to file her disclosure as required by federal law because she can wait another 20 days before risking a fine.
“The committee provides a 30-day grace period before fines are levied. The congresswoman plans to file before the period expires,” Ocasio-Cortez communications director Lauren Hitt told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday evening.
Ocasio-Cortez said in April that American democracy is undermined when lawmakers are merely perceived to have acted improperly in regard to their personal finances.
Almost all members of the House have reported their 2021 financial disclosures as required by federal law as of Wednesday morning. The disclosures are publicly available for review on the House Clerk’s website.
Ocasio-Cortez is one of only 10 members of the House that have yet to file their 2021 financial disclosure, which almost all members of the lower chamber were required to submit no later than Aug. 13. Other notable lawmakers who have yet to file their 2021 disclosures include Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and outgoing Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI).
The fine Ocasio-Cortez would face if she’s more than 30 days late filing her financial disclosure is minor — just $200. However, it’s not the first time the lawmaker has exploited the 30-day grace period to delay publicly disclosing her finances without financial penalty.
Ocasio-Cortez filed her 2019 financial disclosure precisely 30 days late in September 2020, just barely avoiding a House Ethics Committee fine.
“Not only is she an admitted scofflaw — she’s a repeat offender,” said Paul Kamenar, an attorney for the National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative ethics watchdog group. “One must wonder whether she also files her income tax returns past the deadlines.”
“Just like AOC did in 2020 when she filed her 2019 disclosure report 30 days late after the 90-day extension, she’s at it again, blowing off the deadline for filing her 2021 filing that was due on Aug. 13,” Kamenar added.
Ocasio-Cortez’s cavalier attitude toward disclosing her own finances to the public runs counter to her prior statements in regard to her colleague’s finances.
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