Andrew Kerr of the Washington Free Beacon delves into questions surrounding U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s marital status.
Look closely and you’ll see: Something is missing from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D., N.Y.) ring finger.
Ocasio-Cortez hasn’t been pictured wearing her engagement ring since November 2023, according to an extensive Washington Free Beacon review of Getty and Associated Press images, as well as the lawmaker’s social media posts and public appearances. The ring’s 17-month absence, which has gone unnoticed in the press until now, raises questions about the status of her betrothal to her low-profile fiancé, web developer Riley Roberts. …
… Far from being mere tabloid fodder, the legal status of Ocasio-Cortez’s relationship with Roberts also carries significant financial and ethical ramifications for the potential 2028 presidential candidate. By virtue of remaining unmarried to Ocasio-Cortez, Roberts retains certain privacy privileges not afforded to the legally married spouses of other lawmakers.
He has been exempt from publicly disclosing his assets, stock trades, and his places of employment as a part of Ocasio-Cortez’s annual financial disclosure reports. It’s a level of secrecy not granted to the spouses of Ocasio-Cortez’s married colleagues such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), whose husband’s market-busting stock trades frequently make national headlines.
It’s unclear if Roberts has bought or sold any stocks or securities since Ocasio-Cortez assumed office in 2019 and her office has not responded to several requests for comment. Roberts didn’t return phone calls and text messages to a phone number listed under his name.
Kendra Arnold, the executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust watchdog group, said Ocasio-Cortez and Roberts are benefiting from a “loophole” in congressional financial disclosure rules that provide different treatment for members’ long-term partners versus spouses. It’s a loophole that exists “because at the time the financial disclosure laws were written, marriage was the standard and it was not common to have other long-term relationships,” Arnold said.
