Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) claimed during an online spat with Twitter boss Elon Musk that merchandise being sold on the ‘Official AOC Team Shop’ goes to charity, something recent FEC disbursement records appear to contradict.
The row between the two social media forces began when the New York Democrat complained about a plan by Musk to implement a subscription service of $8/month to retain blue check status on Twitter.
“Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that ‘free speech’ is actually a $8/mo subscription plan,” she tweeted.
The Tesla CEO fired back in a variety of ways, but one in particular involved a screenshot of a $58 sweatshirt being sold at Ocasio-Cortez’s online store.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022
RELATED: Elon Musk Nukes AOC for Complaining About Having to Pay $8/Month for ‘Blue Check’ Status
AOC Shop Purchases Exposed as Campaign Contributions
AOC defended the pricey garment by stating the store is run with unionized labor receiving a fair wage in addition to claiming all proceeds from the shop “go to community acts like tutoring underserved kids.”
Her own site betrays that claim, however.
The FAQ section explicitly states that all purchases made in the online shop “are campaign contributions.”
It then lays out a series of five campaign contribution rules each customer must agree to.
This is a blatant lie. Proceeds go to your campaign. It’s explicitly stated on the site. https://t.co/HGnwlH18i0 pic.twitter.com/BK2Uepv9JZ
— Rusty (@rustyweiss74) November 3, 2022
The ‘Terms of Service‘ page on the Ocasio-Cortez merchandise store reiterates that those wishing to purchase items must adhere to the campaign contribution rules.
And, when you add that $58 sweatshirt to your cart, the rules are again stated along with a new message:
“Merchandise is a premium for a donation. As the total value of your transaction is legally considered to be a political contribution, FEC regulation requires that we verify some personal information prior to checkout.”
Before checkout, the customer is asked to provide their employer’s name and occupation.
If the FEC requires that data for political donations, why do AOC’s FEC disbursements not show any money made through the store going out to charities as she claims?
RELATED: AOC Wants To Ditch Her Tesla After Elon Musk Teased Her About Hitting on Him – Musk Fires Back HARD
FEC Disbursement Records Show No Charitable Contributions in the Past Several Months
Libs of TikTok, a widely followed conservative Twitter account, did some research on the claim that store merchandise sales go to charity.
“AOC lied to Elon Musk,” they wrote.
“She claimed to be a philanthropist when in reality all proceeds from her merch go to her campaign,” their viral tweet continued. “I searched all her campaign expenses in the last 4 months and there were no donations to charity organizations.”
A link to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website is provided showing campaign expenditures from ‘Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez For Congress’ – which pays for the online shop – does not include any charitable donations in recent months.
.@AOC lied to @elonmusk. She claimed to be a philanthropist when in reality all proceeds from her merch go to her campaign.
I searched all her campaign expenses in the last 4 months and there were no donations to charity organizations. See for yourself https://t.co/M53CRQPI4o pic.twitter.com/m0LUidsTIL
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 3, 2022
In fact, there are payments for use of ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft, orders from Grub Hub, and by far the most common transaction is for “payroll services.”
Payments to charitable organizations for “underserved kids” are nowhere to be found.
Fox Business confirmed the legwork done by Libs of TikTok and The Political Insider stating AOC’s “own online merchandise store … explicitly states that purchases are campaign contributions” and “campaign finance data since July … make no mention of donations to charity organizations.”
Libs of TikTok later joked that calling out AOC didn’t mean they wanted to date her.
Just want to get ahead and clear something up in case it comes up because of this tweet: I do not want to date you @AOC.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 3, 2022
Elon Musk and Ocasio-Cortez have been engaged in a Twitter spat for some time. It’s been a classic story of romance – she, an impressionable former bartender with the intellectual heft of a pre-teen, he a shy billionaire.
Stop hitting on me, I’m really shy
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2022
AOC even sent a public message to Musk suggesting he had censored her on Twitter, all while dining on some lip-smacking good chicken nuggets.
.@AOC accuses @elonmusk of censoring her on twitter. pic.twitter.com/yGEAckNEK5
— John Gage (@johnrobertgage) November 3, 2022
Social media users suggested what AOC was experiencing was a caching issue, while others mocked her for thinking Musk had personally censored her account.
“AOC is big mad at the thought of Twitter not boosting her bad takes anymore,” wrote Kylee Griswold, editorial director of The Federalist. “More importantly, don’t talk with nugs in your mouth. Gross.”
Musk, meanwhile, insists he has taken AOC’s concerns under advisement.
“Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8,” he said.
Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022
Perhaps she’ll get the $8 from her campaign, paid for through purchases in the AOC merch shop.
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The post AOC Exposed: TPI’s Rusty Weiss Cracks Open Her False Claims After She Smack Talks Elon Musk appeared first on The Political Insider.
