NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pushed back on critics who derided her for attending the super-exclusive Met Gala Monday night -- let alone, in a gown with "Tax the Rich” splashed on the back.
Republicans and some on the left called AOC, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, a hypocrite for attending the fundraiser, one of the most elite cultural events in the country, where tickets can run $35,000.
“[AOC] wants to tax the rich but took time out of her busy schedule to hob knob with NY and Hollywood elites who paid $30k to attend the #MetGala (and deduct it from their taxes),” tweeted Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.
Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy added on Twitter, “‘Tax the Rich’ … But first I’m gonna go have the time of my life partying with them all at the most extravagant over the top party of the year that is essentially a celebration of richness.”
"And yes, BEFORE anybody starts wilding out — NYC elected officials are regularly invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing our city’s cultural institutions that serve the public. I was one of several in attendance," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a Facebook post. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Rep. Carolyn Maloney were also in attendance.
Ocasio-Cortez added that her dress was borrowed from the design label Brother Vellies, headed by Aurora James and wrote on Instagram that she and her body “have been so heavily and relentlessly policed from all corners politically since the moment I won my election.”
“Ultimately haters hated and the people who are thoughtful were thoughtful,” she added. But we all had a conversation about Taxing the Rich [sic] in front of the very people who lobby against it, and punctured the 4th wall of excess and spectacle.”
Some criticized her for being rich herself, leaving her working-class bartending for Congress where representatives typically make $174,000.
“This is a trick that people use all the time, right? They want you to think that when we talk about ‘rich’ we’re talking about a doctor or a lawyer instead of someone with hundreds of millions of dollars or billions of dollars,” she said in an Instagram video. “That’s what we mean by ‘rich.’”
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