Now that the holiday season has come to an end, it appears grifting season is back in full effect. A former aide for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) appears to have been caught getting funny with the money – for the second time.

Corbin Trent, who served as a top aide to the lawmaker, has once again come under scrutiny for how his political action committee spent its money.

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.

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.

It appears that, in reality, the actual mission of No Excuses had more to do with lining Trent’s pockets than actually furthering a political agenda. But this is not the first time the former AOC aide found himself in hot water.

In a previous conversation with The Daily Beast, Trent argued he had earned this income with his then-recent appearances on television, which he asserted advanced No Excuses’ mission. But the FEC documents show Trent continued to pay himself month after month for “campaign finance consulting” and “communications consulting” through the first three quarters of 2023, even without him making a single TV cameo.

This story is yet another reminder that many political operations are nothing more than performative grifts. While there are some who are gung-ho about the cause, others are using politics as just another way to increase their cash flow.

In this case, it is the left who is affected. Perhaps it is appropriate to be glad that Trent’s actions are harming the progressive cause – taking their money while not actually pushing their agenda forward.

But, it is also worth noting that there are plenty of Trents on the right as well, using the movement to further their own personal interests instead of trying to make a positive difference. These people excel at convincing regular folks to donate to their organizations or PACs while enriching themselves without doing much in the way of political advocacy. The lack of transparency and accountability found in the No Excuses PAC’s operation is one of many examples of how this can happen.

As the political landscape continues evolving, those donating their hard-earned cash and their resources will have to be even more vigilant. This current election season has already turned out to be an emotionally charged one, and there will be no shortage of people seeking to profit from it. Let’s allow the left to continue falling for it while we remain vigilant about those claiming to promote our cause.