The Biden Justice Department is investigating Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., for criminal misuse of federal funds for her personal security, she confirmed in a statement.
Bush, who infamously called for defunding the police while spending big for her personal security, was first reported to be the target of a criminal investigation by Punchbowl News reporter Jake Sherman on X.
"THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT is conducting a criminal probe into @CoriBush, according to six sources familiar with the investigation," Sherman wrote.
"The Justice Department subpoenaed the House Sergeant at Arms for records relating to the misspending of federal security money."
After the news broke, and one morning after Bush dismissed a reporter's questions on the allegations, Bush issued a lengthy statement denying wrongdoing and rebuking the "baseless complaints."
"In recent months, right-wing organizations lodged baseless complaints against me, peddling notions I have misused campaign funds to pay for personal security services," Bush said in a statement. "That is simply not true.
"I have complied with all applicable laws."
The subpoena was delivered and announced on the House floor Monday, without mentioning Bush by name, according to Newsmax congressional correspondent Kilmeny Duchardt.
Bush's personal security spending first became a topic of public discussion when media asked her about spending up to $700,000 on personal security while she was openly calling for the defunding of police during the 2020 George Floyd election-year riots and beyond.
Bush said in her statement she has faced threats since before she was sworn into office in January 2021 and had used campaign funds for security.
But, among those she paid for "security services" was Cortney Merritts, who is now her husband, the New York Post reported.
The issue with Merritts' payments was he was not a licensed as private security in St. Louis or Washington, D.C., Fox News reported almost one year ago.
The Federal Election Commission requires payments to be made to family members only for "bona fide" services, according to the Post.
The Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics cleared Bush from a conservative watchdog complaint in October.
"As a rank-and-file member of Congress I am not entitled to personal protection by the House," Bush said in her Tuesday statement. "I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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