New filings are shedding light on where the money went…
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign committee quietly paid nearly $19,000 last year to a Boston-based psychiatrist known for ketamine treatments, according to federal records. The spending, labeled as “leadership training and consulting,” is now drawing scrutiny over how campaign funds were used and whether the description matches the services provided.
Unusual campaign expense
Federal Election Commission filings show three payments in 2025 totaling $18,725 to Dr. Brian Boyle, chief psychiatric officer at Stella Mental Health. The disbursements were spread out across the year: $11,550 in March, $2,800 in May, and $4,375 in October.
The filings offer little detail beyond the broad label of consulting work. Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign has not clarified who received the services or what they involved.
That lack of detail is part of what’s raising eyebrows. Campaign committees routinely spend on consultants, but payments to a psychiatrist, especially one tied to experimental therapies, are not typical.
A doctor tied to emerging treatments
Boyle, who trained at Harvard Medical School, works in a growing field known as interventional psychiatry. His clinic offers ketamine-assisted therapy for conditions like depression, PTSD, and anxiety.
Ketamine, originally developed as an anesthetic, has gained attention in recent years as a potential treatment for patients who don’t respond to traditional medications. Boyle has spoken openly about its benefits, saying in a podcast that he saw “the incredible power” of the treatment and enjoys helping patients improve.
Stella Mental Health also provides stellate ganglion block procedures, injections designed to calm the body’s stress response. The treatment has been used in some cases for trauma-related conditions.
Still, the science is not settled. Some doctors point to promising results. Others warn that ketamine’s dissociative effects carry risks if not carefully managed.
Political alignment and policy push
Ocasio-Cortez has long supported expanding research into controlled substances for medical use. She has backed federal efforts to study psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA, including bipartisan legislation funding Pentagon research for servicemembers with PTSD and brain injuries.
Years earlier, she argued that drug policy should shift toward medical use rather than criminal enforcement, writing that it was “well past time” to rethink how substances are treated under the law.
That policy stance adds context to the payments, though it does not explain their purpose.
Watchdogs question legality
Campaign finance experts say the key issue is whether the spending qualifies as a legitimate campaign expense.
Paul Kamenar, counsel for the National Legal and Policy Center, questioned whether the payments fit the stated purpose. He noted that Boyle is not known for political consulting or leadership training.
“This looks like yet another example of misuse of campaign contributions,” Kamenar said.
Campaign funds are allowed to cover expenses tied to official duties or campaign activity, but not personal use. Without more detail, it’s unclear where these payments fall.
Past scrutiny over finances
The situation also comes against the backdrop of previous ethics questions.
In 2023, Ocasio-Cortez faced an investigation over her attendance at the 2021 Met Gala, where she wore a “Tax the Rich” dress. The Office of Congressional Ethics found reason to believe she may have accepted impermissible gifts tied to the event. She later reimbursed those costs, but only after the inquiry began. The case was referred to the House Ethics Committee for further review.
Questions remain unanswered
Neither Boyle nor Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign responded to requests for comment.
For now, the payments remain documented only in FEC filings, with no public explanation of what services were provided or how they connect to campaign activity.
That leaves a basic question unresolved: what exactly was purchased, and was it allowed?
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Well, we all know she is batcrap crazy, but now we at least have a paper trail. This isn’t in my humble opinion a campaign expense.
I thought the money politicians raise to fund their campaign expenses was not to be used for personal expenses.
Crazy Kotex needs any kind of psychiatric treatment she can get, for TDS and many other varieties of lunacy.