Oh, really? Free Beacon reports that AOC's campaign paid more than $200K in third quarter to Justice Democrats cofounder's consulting firm

Sarah D | 10:29 AM on October 18, 2019

Congress needs more fresh faces like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Because AOC is basically a breath of fresh air, the antidote to the culture of corruption that has plagued our government for so long.

We kid, of course. Seems pretty safe to say at this point that AOC can do corruption with the best of ’em:

AOC’s Campaign Paid $200K to Firm Established by Justice Democrats Cofounder

via @JoeSchoffstall https://t.co/pdBYCri53r

— Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) October 18, 2019

More from the Washington Free Beacon’s Joe Schoffstall:

Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign hauled in $1.4 million in contributions and reported $924,349.64 in operating expenditures between July 1 and Sept. 30, its filings show. Middle Seat Consulting, a firm that “supports campaigns, organizations, and causes fighting for racial justice, climate action, immigrant rights, intersectional feminism, economic justice, and more,” was paid $210,364.37 by the freshman representative’s committee during this time for email fundraising, digital ad commission, list rentals, and strategy. The disbursements are a major increase from the combined $89,000 it gave to Middle Seat during the first and second quarters. Ocasio-Cortez’s committee has now cut the group checks totaling $300,000 this year. Middle Seat is the campaign’s highest paid vendor.

Middle Seat’s leadership includes the same cast of characters as several other Ocasio-Cortez-linked PACs and groups, including those that have come under scrutiny by watchdogs.

…

Prior to Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign, Middle Seat’s largest committee payments this cycle came from the Justice Democrats PAC. During the first half of the year, the PAC paid $205,151 to the firm for fundraising consulting. This amount was $185,000 more than its next highest paid vendor, We Also Walk Dogs, and is on pace to topple the $300,000 the Justice Democrats PAC paid to Middle Seat throughout the entirety of the 2018 midterm election cycle.