A government watchdog group is suing the Federal Election Commission after the agency dismissed its 2019 complaint alleging that Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s campaign failed to disclose hundreds of thousand in fundraising expenses and violated campaign contribution limits.
The National Legal and Policy Center filed its lawsuit Friday against the federal agency in Washington DC federal court, blasting a six-member investigations panel — made up of three Democrats and three Republicans — for not providing a reason for its dismissal of the complaint.
The 36-page March 4, 2019 complaint filed against Ocasio Cortez, campaign treasurer Frank Llewellyn and former chief of staff Chaikat Sakrabarti, among others, alleged that Sakrabarti funneled more than $1 million in political donations into two of his own companies.
Those cash transfers from two political action committees to similarly named limited liability companies — Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats — may have violated the $5,000 contribution limit to federal candidates, the original complaint alleged.
The FEC investigations panel came to an apparent deadlock vote during its probe into Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s campaign finances.
The National Legal and Policy Center is suing the Federal Election Commission for tossing out its complaint against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has not commented on the National Legal and Policy Center’s allegations.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez talks with local activists by a neighborhood fridge in Jackson Heights, Queens on March 22, 2022.
On Feb. 25, NLPC chair Peter Flaherty received a certified letter from the FEC stating that nearly a month earlier — on January 27, 2022 — the agency had dismissed the complaint and “closed the file in this matter” after a deadlocked vote of its investigations panel, according to court papers.
A spokeswoman for AOC did not immediately return The Post’s request for comment Saturday.
*story by The New York Post
