LIZ: ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ
PRESENTS HERSELF AS A WORKING
CLASS CHAMPION FIGHTING
CORRUPTION IN POLITICS.
SHE HAS CALLED DARK MAN WHY IT
ENEMY TO DEMOCRACY.
SHE DEMANDED TRANSPARENCY IN
POLITICS.
BUT HER CAMPAIGN EMBROILED IN A
DEEPENING CRISIS.
ACCUSED OF SETTING UP OFF THE
BOOKS SHELL COMPANIES THAT TOOK
IN NEARLY $900,000 IN DONATIONS.
THEY WERE RUN BY HER CHIEF OF
STAFF OUT OF HIS GREENWICH VEG
APARTMENT.
WHERE DID ALL THE MONEY GO?
>> THEY ARE TWO OFF-THE-BOOK
COMPANIES RUN BY HER CHIEF OF
STAFF.
WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?
>> WE DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S WHY WE ASKED FOR AN
INVESTIGATION.
YOU HAD TWO PACS POURED HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO AN
LLC WITH A SIMILAR NAME OF
BRAND-NEW CONGRESS LLC.
THE PACS HAVE TO REPORT THEIR
EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS
AND THE LLC DOES NOT.
THE MONEY DISAPPEARED INTO THE
LLC.
IT'S NOT DARK MONEY.
IT'S PITCH BLACK MONEY.
LIZ: WERE THEY EITHER CONCEALING
PAYMENTS OR SPENDING IT ON
THEMSELVES?
>> WE DON'T KNOW.
WE HAVE EXTENSIVE FUNDRAISING
EVENTS AND DOOR KNOCKING
CONDUCTED BY BRAND-NEW CONGRESS
LLC.
BUT THERE IS NO DISCLOSURE FOR
THAT.
THE FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES EVERY
EXPENDITURE OF $200 OR MORE TO
BE REPORTED AND THE PURPOSE OF
THAT EXPENDITURE REPORTED.
WE HAVE ALL THIS MONEY GOING
INTO CAMPAIGNS BUT WE DON'T KNOW
HOW IT WAS SPENT.
LIZ: THAT AM FLAT-OUT VIOLATION
OF THE REGULATIONS AND THE LAW.
THE PAC -- THE GOVERNMENT SAYS
YOU HAVE TO DISCLOSE HOW THAT
CAMPAIGN MONEY WAS SPENT.
USING A SHELL COMPANY THAT HIDES
HOW IT WAS SPENT IS A VIOLATION,
CORRECT?
>> THE FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN
ACT WAS PASSED AFTER WATERGATE.
IT'S THE HEART OF FEDERAL
ELECTION CAMPAIGN LAW AND IT'S
BEEN THAT WAY FOR 30-40 YEARS.
LI OCASIO-CORTEZ HAS BEEN HIT
WITH ACCUSATIONS OF
SELF-DEALING.
ONE OF THE SHELL CORPORATIONS
PAID THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO HER
LIVE-IN BOYFRIEND AND HE HAD NO
HISTORY OF WORKING ON A
CAMPAIGN.
BUT HE WORKED FOR AN ONLINE HOME
ADVISOR ACCOUNT.
HE GOT A CONGRESSIONAL WEB
ADDRESS AND THEY ARE NOT
MARRIED.
>> AROUND THE TIME MR. ROBERTS
RECEIVED PAYMENT FROM BRAND-NEW
CONGRESS PAC, OCASIO-CORTEZ'S
CAMPAIGN WAS FORWARDING SIMILAR
AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO BRAND-NEW
CONGRESS LLC.
SO THERE WERE CIRCULAR FLOWS OF
MONEY.
THE APPEARANCE IS PERHAPS
OCASIO-CORTEZ HAD HER BOYFRIEND
ON THE PAYROLL BECAUSE HE WAS
HER BOYFRIEND.
LIZ: IS THERE ANY INDICATION THE
CAMPAIGN WAS GOING TO HIRE
SOMETIME IN AND WHAT SERVICES
DID HE PROVIDE.
WHEN YOU HAVE THE SHELL COMPANY
SPENDING THE MONEY BE IT DOES
NOT HAVE TO REPORT THE SPENDING
TO THE GOVERNMENT.
THAT'S THE VIOLATION.
WERE THEY GOING TO HIRE THE
BOYFRIEND?
IF SO, FOR WHAT?
>> HE WAS PAID BY THE PAC AND
THEY DID DISCLOSE IT.
THEY ITEMIZED IT AS STRATEGIC
CONSULTING WHICH COULD MEAN JUST
ABOUT EVERYTHING.
THAT'S THE SAME TERMINOLOGY THEY
USED FOR THE MOSSIVE MONEY FLOWS
THAT WENT TO THE FEDERAL PACS TO
BRAND-NEW CONGRESS LLC IT SEEMS
TO ME FOR THEM IT WAS A
CATCH-ALL TERM THAT THEY THOUGHT
WOULD PASS MUSTER.
LIZ: WHAT STOPS OTHER CAMPAIGNS
FROM SETTING UP SHELL COMPANIES
LIKE CORTEZ DID.
>> BASICALLY GOING TO JAIL.
LIZ: DINESH D'SOUZA WENT TO JAIL
FOR GIVING DONATIONS.
>> DINESH D'SOUZA MADE A $20,000
CONTRIBUTION THAT WAS NOT DONE
PROPERLY AND HE GOT NAILED FOR
MAKING DONATIONS IN THE NAME OF
ANOTHER.
CAMPAIGN LAW IS LAX, BUT THAT
OFFENSE DOES GET PROSECUTED.