Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., February 7, 2019. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

A conservative watchdog group called Thursday for an ethics investigation of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, alleging that she employed improper fundraising techniques.

The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics that accused the freshman New York Democrat of “improperly using taxpayer-funded resources and official action for political purposes in violation of numerous House ethics rules.”


At issue is Ocasio-Cortez’s use of official House of Representatives footage on her political Twitter and Instagram accounts, which violates congressional ethics rules prohibiting the use of taxpayer-funded resources for the “solicitation of contributions” and other campaign activities. She has also improperly linked a solicitation for campaign contributions as well as her official House page to her political Instagram, a breach of the House ethics rule that official social-media accounts may not be used for campaigns.

House ethics rules state that “broadcast coverage and recordings of House floor proceedings may not be used for any political purpose.”

“Representative Ocasio-Cortez has not only violated the most basic congressional ethics laws on the books, she has done so repeatedly,” said FACT’s executive director, Kendra Arnold. “These laws exist so that elected representatives are not using official business on behalf of the American people to push a political agenda or gain a political advantage. These are clear violations and the Ethics Committee needs to act.”

Ocasio-Cortez has vowed to tackle and reform campaign-finance laws, which she said last month make it “super legal” for a member of Congress to be a “pretty bad guy.”

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