A former top aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., funneled six figures in donor funds from his political action committee into his own pockets for reported consulting work, all while spending minimal amounts on the PAC’s actual mission.
Corbin Trent, who previously acted as a top aide to Ocasio-Cortez and helped propel her into office, formed the No Excuses PAC after his departure as her communications director in 2019 and exiting her campaign in 2020.
Trent launched No Excuses in 2021 with the goal of nuking the Senate filibuster by targeting senators Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kirsten Sinema, I-Ariz. But a recent report shows that No Excuses barely spent money on its stated endeavors.
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Corbin Trent, a former Ocasio-Cortez adviser, has paid himself nearly $140,000 from his PAC while spending little on activity advancing its goals. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Instead, Trent paid himself nearly $140,000 for reported communication and management consulting between February 2021 and September 2023, which is shown in Federal Election Commission filings.
During this time, Trent’s group spent just $14,831 on radio ad buys targeting Manchin and Sinema, meaning his PAC had paid him ten times more for reported consulting services than it spent on its stated goals, the publication noted.
Trent co-founded Justice Democrats, which helped propel Ocasio-Cortez into office. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)
Trent, who did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment, told the Daily Beast he earned the money from television appearances, which he said furthered the PAC’s mission. However, the publication noted that he had made consistent payments to himself even when he did not appear on television.
Before acting as an adviser to Ocasio-Cortez and later forming No Excuses, Trent co-founded Justice Democrats, which was instrumental in pushing her into power.
AOC’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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No Excuses has pivoted away from the filibuster to what appears to be persuading President Biden not to run for a second term and is asking for donations to do so.
“President Biden, you’ve accomplished more in three years than most two-term presidents,” No Excuses says in the ad it posted to X. “But battleground state voters say they’ll vote for Trump if you’re the Democratic nominee.
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“If you attempt to cling to power, your legacy will be Donald Trump’s final destruction of our democracy,” the ad continues. “If you step aside, however, you’ll be remembered as one of the greatest presidents in history. Thank you, Joe. But now it’s time to go.”
No Excuses reported just over $1,500 in the bank in its most recent filings and would not tell the Daily Beast how much it has raised to this day.
