Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, through her campaign organization, spent nearly $50,000 in Puerto Rico between June and September on lavish hotels and meals, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings for the third quarter of the year.
The records also showed that $23,000 was spent on a "venue rental' at the same arena in San Juan where she'd been spotted dancing in a suite during a Bad Bunny concert in August, the same month as her gentrification speech, reports The New York Post on Wednesday.
Newsmax has reached out to the campaign for comment, but in a published statement, her campaign manager, Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, said that the New York Democrat "regularly travels to Puerto Rico to support local causes and host events that require both staff and security."
"She is deeply proud of her investment in grassroots organizing and will continue to be active in advocating for both people on the island and the millions of Puerto Ricans in the diaspora," he added.
According to videos on social media, Ocasio-Cortez was shown visiting the housing development, but other footage shows her dancing in box seats at the Bad Bunny concert at El Choli Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, which was attended by celebrities including LeBron James, Iggy Azalea, Penelope Cruz, and Austin Butler.
The FEC, in its campaign finance report including records of campaign expenses between July 1 and Sept. 30, shows that Ocasio-Cortez's campaign spent more than $15,000 at two San Juan luxury hotels, the Hotel Palacio Provincial and Hotel El Convento, as well as $10,500 on meals and catering services
The filings show that on July 28, the congresswoman's campaign paid $680.52 to Hotel Palacio Provincial, followed by payments to the hotel on Aug. 29, for $1,507.26, and Sep. 29, for $9,440.79.
A payment of $3,861.20 went to Hotel El Convento on Aug. 25, which also owns the Hotel Palacio Provincial property.
The filings show Ocasio-Cortez's campaign spent $15,489.77 in total lodging costs.
The FEC filings show the campaign spent $10,743.13 on catering and meals in Puerto Rico, dated on the dates Aug. 25 and Sept. 29.
The dining spots included some of San Juan's most exclusive restaurants, including Cocina Abierta, Cocina al Fondo, and Verde Mesa.
Meanwhile, the filings show that between June 24 and Aug. 25, the campaign spent $23,000 at the venue where Bad Bunny held multiple concerts, including on Aug. 10, when Ocasio-Cortez was shown attending the event.
It was not confirmed whether the payments were for multiple visits or if an initial deposit was followed by a final payment later.
The records further show that Ocasio-Cortez's campaign had racked up thousands of dollars for hotel stays and high-end food vendors in the United States during the third quarter as well, including with businesses based along the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour she and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had taken.
The spending included nearly $5,000 at the Hotel Vermont in Burlington, following a $1,600 expense at the same hotel in April.
The campaign also spent almost $2,000 for a stay at the Thompson Central Park Hotel in New York City, described as an "upscale boutique hotel near Central Park."
The FEC report also details $3,000 in spending at the Arlo Williamsburg, a Brooklyn hotel, and thousands of dollars at high-end restaurants, including with her campaign spending $4,500 on ice cream from Mr. Ding-a-ling Ice Cream located in Latham, New York, and $4,400 on catering from Caleb Jang, a D.C.-area executive chef.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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