“On the Holmes Front,” with Frank Holmes
Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez get married? According to a new set of government documents, the answer is yes — and no.
And it may be a big House ethics violation.
Like everything the New York leftist says, her own marital status seems to be confused, conflicted, or contradictory.
Official government documents have reported AOC took multiple trips with her “spouse,” Riley Roberts.
AOC has always publicly said Roberts is her fiance, and she’s never announced that the couple, who have lived together for years, ever tied the knot.
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But that’s what she said in four government forms.
Last August, she and Roberts went to Venice, Italy—and said she “paid for her and her spouse’s flight… at her own expense.” (Their food and lodging were provided by the Mara Foundation, according to a report from the Washington Free Beacon.)
The two also traveled to Japan and South Korea this February, and to Santiago, Chile, in August.
If AOC is indeed married, her spouse's finances are now subject to public disclosure.
But she did not disclose any of Roberts’s reportable stock holdings, assets, or income on her latest financial disclosure, though she did make two references to her "spouse" in the filing. pic.twitter.com/USREG8xvdI
— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) September 13, 2023
“Moral of the story, AOC is married to a total beta,” said one writer.
Did the Squad just gain a wingman? According to AOC’s office, the answer is: Negative, Maverick!
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“They are not legally married,” Lauren Hitt, the congresswoman’s official spokesperson, told the Washington Free Beacon. Then she tried to defend AOC’s actions, saying, “House Ethics has commonly recognized the term spouse to extend to long-term partners.”
But that’s totally wrong, and AOC’s trip across the pond may have landed her in some hot water.
The House Ethics Committee handbook officially defines the term as “someone to whom you are legally married.” That doesn’t apply to Riley Roberts… so what gives?
“AOC is either lying about being married or apparently breaking the law in her financial disclosures,” said radio talk show host and Daily Caller editor Vince Coglianese.
AOC’s marital status gets even murkier, because it seems to change based on which form she’s filing.
“Ocasio-Cortez did not disclose any of Roberts’s reportable stock holdings, assets, liabilities, or income on her latest financial disclosure submitted in August,” reported the Free Beacon.
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“It’s unclear why Ocasio-Cortez considers Roberts her spouse for the purposes of overseas travel but not when it comes to financial disclosure. It’s also unclear why Ocasio-Cortez never identified Roberts as her spouse in ethics disclosures prior to 2023, even though, according to her office, the legal status of their relationship has remained unchanged since she joined Congress in 2019.”
If the allegations are true, “she has to resign,” said conservative commentator Donald Russo.
Another great report by @AndrewKerrNC:
AOC is either lying about being married or apparently breaking the law in her financial disclosureshttps://t.co/TPUWkXjewq
— Vince Coglianese (@VinceCoglianese) September 14, 2023
She has to resign.https://t.co/nahC069ncq
— Donald Russo (@donaldrusso994) September 14, 2023
Is she breaking the law, is she or stretching the truth? We may already know; the socialist representative has tested these waters before.
In 2019, it came to light that Roberts has an official government email, even though he’s not a government employee. AOC’s office. claimed she did this so Roberts can see her schedule “like spouses…in other congressional offices.”
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“If he’s not a government employee, in what capacity he’s doing government work,” asked investigator Luke Thompson.
“He’s not paid. We have no volunteers in the office. He’s not doing any government work,” replied AOC’s then-chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti. “He can see her calendar just like spouses/partners/family members in other congressional offices.” (Emphasis added.)
He's not paid. We have no volunteers in the office. He's not doing any government work. He can see her calendar just like spouses/partners/family members in other congressional office. Check your damn facts before you report bullshit. Lazy journos need to learn to do their jobs.
— Saikat Chakrabarti (@saikatc) February 15, 2019
Twitter, before Elon Musk took over, locked Thompson’s account for allegedly breaking “rules against posting private information.”
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That couldn’t hold—all he did was post public records—but the heavy pushback told Thompson he must be on to something big. So, he kept digging…and found what he was looking for.
Roberts also sits in the middle of a strange campaign finance scandal involving Mr. Chakrabarti himself.
Chakrabarti ran an organization called Brand New Congress, which is a PAC—but also a limited liability company, or LLC.
AOC’s campaign paid Chakrabarti’s company to work on her election…and the campaign paid off Roberts.
BNC’s PAC cut two $3,000 checks to Roberts for a total of $6,000.
“The payments to Roberts are the largest payments made by” the business “to any person or group other than Brand New Congress LLC,” wrote Thompson. “Oh, and Roberts doesn’t work in marketing.”
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Was this a kickback? A bribe to become chief of staff?
The payments to Roberts are the largest payments made by @BrandNew535 to any person or group other than Brand New Congress LLC. Oh, and Roberts doesn't work in marketing. pic.twitter.com/XN8AYl0l7J
— Luke Thompson (@ltthompso) February 20, 2019
Nobody’s sure. Chakrabarti quit his job at AOC’s office… but he’s still lurking around the edges and AOC’s still boiling with outrage — so she tried to get revenge.
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After Thompson cost the congresswoman her beloved chief of staff, AOC tried to drag Thompson into another ethics complaint as a way to smear him by guilt-by-association.
Thompson used to work at the pro-Jeb Bush SuperPAC “Right to Rise.” Shortly after he filed his complaint, the FEC smacked that group with a record $390,000 fine for taking $1.3 million in illegal foreign donations.
“Whoah: the creepy org filing bogus ethics complaints against me just *actually* got hit with one of the biggest fines in FEC history,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
But that’s completely wrong. Daily Caller explained, “Thompson wasn’t mentioned in the complaint against Right to Rise, and doesn’t work at any of the groups that have filed the ethics complaints against Ocasio-Cortez.” He was just a podcaster who asked questions.
Now it seems like AOC’s own office is raising the same questions. According to her, Riley is AOC’s “spouse” when it benefits them—for huge overseas junkets and a free government email—but not when it demands they tell people about their shady financial arrangements.
What would Riley Roberts’ financial forms tell us about who’s paying off AOC?
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Would we find another Hunter Biden-like situation, where people pay Roberts to influence the congresswoman?
The questions pile up. Did AOC wear white? Or is she flouting congressional rules, breaking laws… and does she need to change from her wedding dress to an orange jumpsuit?
Frank Holmes is a veteran journalist and an outspoken conservative that talks about the news that was in his weekly article, “On The Holmes Front.”