DOJ INVESTIGATING REP’S CAMPAIGN FUNDS
Democrat Cori Bush hired now-husband for her security
The Justice Department is conducting an investigation into whether Rep. Cori Bush mishandled campaign funds, including when she hired her romantic partner — who is now her husband — to provide her with security services.
The Office of Congressional Ethics investigated the security arrangement by Bush, D-Mo., last year. The office voted to recommend dismissal of the allegations after concluding that her husband, Cortney Merritts, had performed “bona fide” security work and did not appear to have been overpaid, and that Bush faced a level of threats that justified the work.
In a statement Tuesday, Bush said she was “fully cooperating” with the Justice Department investigation.
“Since before I was sworn into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life,” Bush said. “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. 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.”
The House Ethics Committee is also investigating the matter, Bush said.
Bush has spoken out about the death threats she has received on Capitol Hill. She spent more on security than any other member of the House in the months after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol.
People familiar with the investigation, who spoke about it on the condition of anonymity, said federal prosecutors were asking questions similar to those asked by the congressional investigators about Bush’s security expenditures and the involvement of Merritts. The Justice Department inquiry has included subpoenas to members of Bush’s campaign team.
It was not immediately clear whether the federal investigation is broader than the ethics inquiry, but federal prosecutors have greater investigatory powers than congressional investigators do. Ethics investigations rarely result in discipline against members of Congress.
The investigation came to public attention Monday when the clerk of the House read aloud a required notification by the House sergeant-at-arms that he had received a grand jury subpoena from the Justice Department for documents.
“After consulting with the Office of General Counsel, I have determined that compliance with the subpoena is consistent with the rights and derivatives of the House,” William McFarland, the sergeant-at-arms, wrote in the notice.
Punchbowl News earlier reported that the subpoena and investigation pertained to Bush. The Justice Department declined to comment.
Bush was investigated in 2023 after the conservative group Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust filed a complaint over her security payments.
In 2022, Bush’s campaign paid $338,193 for security, including $225,281 to a private firm, Peace Security; $50,000 to Nathaniel Davis; and $60,000 to Merritts, according to the complaint.
The payments to Merritts in the amount of $2,500 were twice a month. The complaint noted that Merritts did not have a St. Louis private security license, and that Bush and Merritts got married in February 2023.
“In accordance with all applicable rules, I retained my husband as part of my security team to provide security services because he has had extensive experience in this area, and is able to provide the necessary services at or below a fair market rate,” Bush said in her statement.
The Federal Election Commission has determined that lawmakers may use campaign funds to pay for security personnel services against threats arising from the members’ status as officeholders, but the commission has emphasized the money must be used only for “bona fide” security services.