Ex AOC aide lined pockets with nearly $140K from his PAC while spending little on its mission

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's former high-ranking aide, Corbin Trent, is under scrutiny for channeling significant funds from his political action committee (PAC) into his own pocket for alleged consulting work while spending very little on PAC's actual mission. Trent, who served as Ocasio Cortez's communications director in 2019 and left her campaign in 2020, established the PAC, No Excuses, in 2021, with the objective of swaying senators Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema to sink the Senate filibuster. However, recent findings indicate that No Excuses spent exceedingly little on its stated mission.

Trent compensated himself nearly $140,000 from the PAC for his reported communication and management consulting services between February 2021 and September 2023, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Simultaneously, Trent's PAC spent merely $14,831 on radio advertisements targeting Manchin and Sinema, this implies that the PAC paid him ten times more for alleged consulting services than it utilized on its declared aims.

Trent, who failed to reply to requests for comments, has justified his income from television appearances, asserting that they furthered the PAC's objectives. He had, however, received regular payments, even when he had not made television appearances.

Before the establishment of No Excuses and his assistance to Ocasio Cortez, Trent was a co-founder of Justice Democrats, a key force in Ocasio Cortez's rise to power.

Recently, No Excuses seems to have shifted its focus from the filibuster issue to discouraging President Biden from seeking a second term. It is currently soliciting donations for this cause. However, the organization did not disclose the amount it has raised so far. Its most recent filings showed a little over $1,500 in the bank.