A former assistant to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is accused of taking roughly $140,000 from a political action committee he formed and using it for personal gain while allocating very little funds to the organization’s objectives.
“After his departure as her communications director in 2019 and leaving her campaign in 2020, Corbin Trent, who previously served as a top aide to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and helped propel her into office, formed the No Excuses PAC,” Fox News reported. He further stated that he “funnelled six figures in donor funds from” the PAC “into his own pockets for reported consulting work, all while spending minimal amounts on the PAC’s actual mission.”
Trent established the PAC in 2021 with the intention of defeating Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in order to end the Senate filibuster. No Excuses, however, reportedly spent relatively little money on the organization’s declared goal, according to a recent investigation.
As stated in Federal Election Commission filings, “instead, Trent paid himself nearly $140,000 for reported communication and management consulting between February 2021 and September 2023,” according to Fox News.
According to the FEC’s numbers, the PAC paid him around 10 times more for purported advising services than it did for its declared objectives during the same period when the group only spent $14,831 on radio advertising targeting both senators.
For instance, between December 25 and January 1, a group known as “Occupy Biden” congregated close to his Delaware home to express disapproval and demand that he proclaim a “climate emergency.” Though as president, he can only do so much and would need the Legislative Branch to approve legislation for bigger movements, a group spokeswoman criticised Biden for not doing enough on the matter.
“We acknowledge that an administration that, at the very least, acknowledges the existence of the climate catastrophe is beneficial. However, during an emergency, we have to take immediate action to prevent a disaster, Occupy Biden spokesperson Karen Igou stated to Fox News at the time.
Progressives are becoming more vocal in their criticism of Biden due to the failure of several bills to pass, but others doubt that a left-wing challenge would ultimately be successful.
But Carter added that it is no certainty that the criticism will rise to the level of spawning a left-wing challenge for the 2024 nomination. That doesn’t mean the party’s uber-left faction, which is growing, won’t try to continue pushing him in their direction.