Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is facing criticism for more than just her radical socialist policies.
Critics accused the freshman congresswoman of a possible ethics violation following the discovery that her boyfriend, Riley Roberts, had been given a congressional email account.
Predictably, the accusation has been disputed by Ocasio-Cortez and her staff, who say it’s common practice.
AOC exposed
The revelation came on Friday when writer Luke Thompson posted a screenshot of Riley Roberts’ House email to Twitter and accused her of adding her boyfriend on payroll. “While you were having a nice Valentine’s Day, @AOC decided to put her boyfriend on staff – drawing a salary on the taxpayer’s dime,” he wrote. “Nice to see her adapting to the swamp so quickly.”
While you were having a nice Valentine’s Day, @AOC decided to put her boyfriend on staff – drawing a salary on the taxpayer’s dime. Nice to see her adapting to the swamp so quickly. pic.twitter.com/bvncwzxY53
— Luke Thompson (@ltthompso) February 15, 2019
According to House IT rules, “Only U.S. House of Representative Members, Officers, Employees, Fellows, interns and Contractors who have received permission under the appropriate Hiring Authority are authorized users of the House’s electronic mail systems and resources.”
Roberts, of course, falls into none of these categories.
Ocasio-Cortez and staff deny claims
As usual, it didn’t take long for Ocasio-Cortez and her office to hit back. “Actually this cal[endar] designation is a permission so he can have access to my Google Cal.,” Ocasio-Cortez replied. “Congressional spouses get Gcal access all the time. Next time check your facts before you tweet nonsense.”
Ocasio-Cortez’ chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, also joined in, saying that Roberts wasn’t part of her paid staff. “He’s not paid. We have no volunteers in the office. He’s not doing any government work,” he tweeted. “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.”
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
But another Twitter user, Andrew Follett, pointed out that whether Roberts is on Ocasio-Cortez’s staff or not, there appears to be an ethics violation — either for giving a non-staffer a House email or for getting a boyfriend a staff job. And the back-and-forth between members of Ocasio-Cortez’s staff and those accusing the congresswoman of an ethics violation continued.
Questionable security
Despite the above rule, which would clearly prohibit Roberts from such access, it does appear that there is a general practice of allowing spouses and sometimes partners access to these House calendars. According to David O’Boyle, the spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, “From time to time, at the request of members, spouses and partners are provided House email accounts for the purposes of viewing the member’s calendar.”
Yet, as noted by the former chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Jason Chaffetz, it isn’t the most secure practice. “It’s totally naïve and inappropriate — you wouldn’t allow it in most companies, let alone the House of Representatives,” he said. “There should be real consequences.”
Whether or not there will be “real consequences” remains to be seen. Roberts has deleted his LinkedIn account.
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