Spending spree at AOC's capitalist retail store for Democratic Socialist fat cats!

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens, Bronx) has made her claim to fame by espousing Democratic Socialism with no shortage of criticisms for capitalists and those working in the business sector.

But in a social media spat with Elon Musk, the leftist Latina opened herself up as a target after she criticized the New Twitter CEO for announcing that the platform will soon be charging an $8 monthly fee for users to get “verified.”

Ocasio-Cortez tweeted “Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that ‘free speech’ is actually an $8/mo subscription plan.”

Musk fired back with a screenshot of one of AOC’s $58 campaign sweatshirts, alongside a thinking-face emoji, suggesting people should compare the Congresswoman’s sincerity.

Ocasio-Cortez boasted that she was “proud” of her retail products, saying, “Not to mention all proceeds go to community organizing like our Homework Helpers program which gives private tutoring to kids who’ve needed learning support since COVID: Check out our shop!”

To date FEC records reveal that Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign has raised in $11.7 million for the 2022 election cycle, and also indicate she has spent $2 million on campaign merchandise.

It is unknown how much Ocasio-Cortez campaign has made in actual sales from her clothing products and retail merchandise, but purchases are considered campaign donations, and filings show that since January 2021, only $10,917 have been donated to community groups, according to a report published by the New York Post.

These contributions include $5,000 to Brooklyn crowd-funding group IOBY (in our backyards), $4,217 to the Start Lighthouse in the Bronx for the Homework Helpers literacy program, $500 to the City Parks Foundation, another $500 to a group called City IslandO, $400 to New Immigrant Community Empowerment and $300 to the Poppenhusen Institute community center.

The campaign’s merchandising expenses include $49,948 to the e-commerce business Shopify for internet site-related costs and $4,400 in merchandise design fees. Campaign filings show a $5,550 expense for turkeys in November 2021 and a $4,284 purchase of backpacks in August 2021.

“Our campaign directly runs several charitable programs, including regular food distributions. We also have seasonal programs like our back-to-school backpack giveaways and turkey distributions around the holidays,” said campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt in an interview with the Post.

But some Republicans are skeptical.

“Espousing one set of beliefs while practicing another might be the most typically liberal thing about AOC,” GOP consultant Luke Thompson told the Post.

The Post further added that, “like true cut-throat capitalists, the campaign appears to have marked up the AOC gear by more than double the wholesale cost. The bulk purchase price for plain black sweatshirts, similar to the one used for the “Tax the Rich” item, is $22.84.”

Other products for sale at AOC’s online shop include a “Social, Economic and Racial Justice” hoodie sweatshirts for $65, $28 Green New Deal hats and $27 t-shirts that admonish the public to, “Drink Water & Don’t Be A Racist” and remind us that “Change Takes Courage!”

The campaign reportedly buys its merchandise from Rhode Island wholesaler Financial Innovations, which markets itself as an outfit that its products are made in the American and Canadian union shops with a policy of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) sourcing.

It features products for other left and Democratic campaigns on its main page including Joe Biden for President.

The Ocasio-Cortez campaign has reportedly paid the outfit $1.8 million, according to the latest Federal Election Commission data covering the time frame from Dec. 25, 2020 to Aug. 3, 2022.