WASHINGTON — Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., a key progressive and former Black Lives Matter organizer, is being investigated by the Justice Department for her campaign’s spending on security services, she confirmed in a statement Tuesday.
“We are fully cooperating in this investigation,” Bush said, denying any wrongdoing.
“Since before I was sworn into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life. As a rank-and-file member of Congress I am not entitled to personal protection by the House, and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services,” Bush continued in her statement. “I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services. Any reporting that I have used federal funds for personal security is simply false.”
DOJ had recently issued a grand jury subpoena to the House sergeant at arms for documents, a development that was made public on the House floor on Monday. But the focus of the federal probe was not revealed at that time.
Two sources confirmed Monday night that DOJ was probing a Democratic lawmaker’s use of security funds, but the member remained unidentified. PunchBowl News first reported Tuesday that Bush, who represents St. Louis, is the Democrat under investigation.
Bush, who ousted longtime Rep. Lacy Clay in the 2020 Democratic primary, came under scrutiny last February when she married her security guard, Cortney Merritts, then kept him on her campaign payroll for providing security services, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Conservative watchdog groups filed at least two complaints against Bush with the Federal Election Commission. While federal law bars lawmakers from paying family members to work in their official offices, they are allowed to pay relatives for campaign work so long as “the family member is providing bona fide services to the campaign.” However, payments “in excess of fair market value” are prohibited, the law states.
Bush, in her statement Tuesday, acknowledged that she retained her husband as part of her security team “because he has had extensive experience in this area, and is able to provide the necessary services at or below a fair market rate.”
The clerk publicly informed lawmakers of the subpoena request when the House opened its session Monday, but few details were provided.
“This is to notify you formally pursuant to rule 8 of the rules of the House of Representatives that the office of the sergeant at arms for the House of Representatives has been served with a grand jury subpoena for documents issued by the U.S. Department of Justice,” House Reading Clerk Susan Cole said, reading a notification from House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland.
“After consulting with the House General Counsel I have determined that compliance with the subpoena is consistent with the rights and privileges of the House,” McFarland’s statement, read by Cole, continued.
Representatives of both Republican and Democratic leaders in the House declined to comment.
Asked about Bush at a leadership news conference, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said Tuesday he had no comment and called it “something for the Justice Department.”
“I haven’t talked to her,” Aguilar said.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
