Rising Democratic Star Is in an Age-Gap Relationship With Influencer

A rising Democratic star has reportedly been linked romantically to a controversial political influencer whose former organization is under investigation by the House Oversight Committee she recently joined.

Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari, 34, is said to be dating Jack Cocchiarella, 24, a progressive political commentator who faced sexual assault allegations while attending Dartmouth. Cocchiarella denied wrongdoing and later filed a lawsuit related to the allegations.

Cocchiarella has interviewed several prominent politicians, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Senator Bernie Sanders. He also featured Ansari on his program several months ago, and reports say their relationship became romantic soon afterward.

Neither has publicly confirmed the nature of their relationship. However, the organization Cocchiarella co-founded told Our News Outlet that he stepped down to prevent distractions after reports emerged about “his relationship with a member of Congress.”

When asked about the reports, Ansari said she would not discuss her private life and maintained that it was not anyone else’s business. The development comes as she serves on the committee examining a so-called “dark money operation” connected to Cocchiarella. The operation has been accused of offering influencers monthly payments of up to $8,000 to promote Democratic talking points.

“Right now, ICE is terrorizing communities across the country with zero accountability, and Trump’s reckless war in Iran continues raging on,” she said.

“I’m focused on helping to flip the House so we can pass meaningful legislation — that’s what we should all be focused on.”

Ansari is a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In January, she said she was “beyond humbled” to join the panel, describing it as an opportunity to “fight for transparency and accountability.”

Ansari was sworn into the US House of Representatives in 2025. She became the youngest woman then serving in Congress and the first Iranian American Democrat elected to the chamber.

She attended Stanford University and the University of Cambridge before beginning her political career in Arizona. Ansari later served on the Phoenix City Council and became the city’s vice mayor before winning election to Congress.

Cocchiarella is a prominent progressive YouTuber and helped co-found the Chorus influencer program, which is now the subject of a congressional investigation.

YouTuber and podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen is listed on Chorus’ website as its founder and leader. Cocchiarella was previously identified as a member of the organization’s Creator Council.

The program is open to creators and social media influencers, who can receive training and monthly stipends for six months.

In a video describing Chorus, Cohen said its participants include left-wing, progressive, moderate and nonpartisan commentators.

Representative James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in May that he had subpoenaed documents connected to Chorus.

A representative for the organization told Our News Outlet that Cocchiarella left the council after TMZ reported on his relationship with Ansari. The outlet said the pair met in 2025, when Ansari appeared on his show, and subsequently became friends.

“The relationship presented no conflict of interest or other concerns, but Jack did not want the story to become fodder for further baseless attacks or distract from Chorus’s work,” the representative said.

The statement continued that the inquiry launched by the Oversight Committee ‘is part of a broader effort to intimidate independent news creators and chill speech. 

‘Chorus is proud to work with the creators who inform the American public about the issues that shape their lives, and the organization will continue that work without hesitation.’ 

An archived version of Chorus’s website also lists Cocchiarella as a member of the Creative Council; however, it appears he has since been removed. 

Last summer, Cohen shared a video on X about Chorus. Cocchiarella shared it and praised the effort, writing: ‘Brian is the best guy I know in this space and I back him with everything I’ve got. 

‘No one has worked harder or done more to build out independent progressive media and he never gets a thank you for it because he doesn’t ask or need it. BTC is a fighter we should all be behind,’ Cocchiarella said.  

The House Oversight Committee accused Chorus of being a ‘dark money operation involved in efforts to undermine media ethics standards and circumvent federal campaign finance disclosure laws,’ according to a press release.

The investigation began last November after Wired reported that Chorus approached a slew of popular influencers to bolster Democratic messaging for $8,000 a month. 

Creators told Wired that Chorus prohibited them from publicly acknowledging they were part of the program or criticizing others who were. 

The report also noted a Zoom call where a lawyer for the nonprofit, Graham Wilson, told creators: ‘There are some real great advantages to … housing this program in a nonprofit.’

‘It gives us the ability to raise money from donors. It also, with this structure, it avoids a lot of the public disclosure or public disclaimers—you know, “Paid for by blah blah blah blah’—that you see on political ads. We don’t need to deal with any of that. Your names aren’t showing up on, like, reports filed with the FEC.”‘

Wilson later clarified that creators can work with whoever they want outside the Chorus program. 

Following the reporting, Comer sent a letter on behalf of the Oversight Committee to President of the Sixteen Thirty Fund Amy Kurtz. 

The letter requested all contracts, documents and communications regarding operations at Chorus. In May, the committee sent Kurtz another letter with a subpoena. 

Comer alleged that the Sixteen Thirty Fund had initially provided ‘improperly redacted document productions’ before the subpoena. The House investigation is ongoing. No official hearings have been held on the matter. 

Cocchiarella was previously embroiled in controversy when his peers accused him of sexual assault while he was a student at Dartmouth. The allegations did not escalate to a criminal case, and Cocchiarella has denied any wrongdoing.

The Columbia Spectator reported on the allegations after he transferred to Columbia University in the fall of 2022. 

An alleged victim told the New Hampshire Journal at the time that he inappropriately touched her and said ‘a lot of really misogynistic things,’ which made her scared. 

Cocchiarella then filed a lawsuit against a Dartmouth student, accusing him of launching a politically motivated ‘smear campaign,’ according to a civil complaint filed in the New Hampshire District Court.

The parties resolved the case in mediation and settled it at the end of 2022. Cocchiarella has never been the subject of an official investigation and has repeatedly denied all allegations. 

The political influencer first rose to fame when he was filmed questioning former Representative Madison Cawthorn at a campus event.

Cocchiarella has since appeared multiple times as a cable news commentator and has over one million YouTube subscribers. 

Our News Outlet has reached out to Ansari, her office, Cocchiarella and the Sixteen Thirty Fund for comment.