An executive at the left-leaning public relations firm BerlinRosen stonewalled congressional investigators probing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ notorious 2021 Met Gala appearance, and could face a subpoena.
Janna Pea, a BerlinRosen executive vice president, along with designer Aurora James and the Brother Vellies brand behind the famous “Tax the Rich” couture gown AOC wore to the party all failed to cooperate in the probe.
The independent Office of Congressional Ethics, in a report issued Thursday, recommended the House Ethics Committee continue the investigation after it found that the socialist firebrand likely received “impermissible gifts” associated with her attendance at the September 2021 gala.
Pea was the publicist for Brother Vellies and sent the AOC campaign a bill in September 2021 for $2,283,93 for the gown and handbag rental along with a shoe purchase for the party, the report said.
The next day, after a discussion with a campaign staffer, the bill was dropped to $990.76 with $1,000 deducted from the dress rental. The bill wasn’t paid until after the OCE started its probe.
“The OCE sought to interview Ms. Pea on these matters, but she declined to cooperate,” according to the report. It recommended that Pea, James and Brother Vellies be compelled to cooperate in any ongoing investigation.
Pea is described on the BerlinRosen website as having “deep experience advising high-profile clients and is known for her calm navigation of crisis communications situations.”
It credits her with “raising the profile for many of our clients in the political, arts and culture + social impact spaces.”
The powerhouse firm based in Manhattan was cofounded by Jonathan Rosen, former Mayor de Blasio’s close pal and advisor, and Valerie Berlin, a staffer at the leftist ACORN organization.
The de Blasio Administration unsuccessfully tried to shield emails between City Hall and BerlinRosen arguing its consultants were “agents of the city” and exempt from disclosure.
BerlinRosen was paid more than $530,000 by de Blasio’s short-lived Campaign for One New York, which came under federal criminal probe.
Neither Pea nor Rosen immediately returned requests for comment.
AOC’s counsel, in a statement Monday about the report, said that the “unacceptable” delays in payments to vendors did not constitute a legitimate ethical failure.
By: Ny Post
