U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is under investigation by the House ethics committee for the New York Democrat's alleged but unspecified violation of congressional rules, the panel said Wednesday.
The firebrand progressive lawmaker, who will face the probe in 2023 under the new Republican-led Congress, denied any wrongdoing.
“The congresswoman has always taken ethics incredibly seriously, refusing any donations from lobbyists, corporations or other special interests,” a spokeswoman for Ocasio-Cortez said. “We are confident that this matter will be dismissed.”
Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., the committee’s acting chair, and Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the ranking minority member, offered no clues as to what the ethics probe was about or what evidence may have surfaced against Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez, who represents deep-blue swaths of Queens and the Bronx, did not reveal the subject of the probe either.
The Office of Congressional Ethics, a nonpartisan group, referred its inquiry into Ocasio-Cortez to the House ethics panel last June.
Ethics violations rarely draw more than a slap on the wrist for those lawmakers who face accusations, although they can lead to serious political consequences. In very rare cases, they can bring about to criminal investigations.
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