The Justice Department has subpoenaed House Democrats on charges of misusing government funds meant for national security.
The allegations became public on Monday and were first report From Punch Bowl News.
🚨Breaking news — @mayu_1212 is investigating House Democrats for allegedly misusing government funds intended for personal safety purposes.
This was the subpoena read out in the House today.
more and more @punchbowlNews afternoon
(Punchbowl News text alerts sent to subscribers…
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 29, 2024
Early Tuesday afternoon, the House Clerk read a message from the Sergeant at Arms’ Office formally informing the House floor that a grand jury subpoena from the Department of Justice had been served on the Sergeant’s Office.
“This is to formally notify you that a grand jury subpoena for documents issued by the United States Department of Justice has been served on the Office of the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives pursuant to Rule 8 of the Rules of the House of Representatives.” pic.twitter.com/Qct7SsGuRi
— Asyn (@Acyn) January 29, 2024
According to the official website of the House of Representatives,
The sergeant-at-arms is the chief law enforcement officer and the House protocol officer, responsible for maintaining order on the House side of the Capitol. The Sergeant at Arms reviews and implements all matters related to the safety and security of members of Congress and the Capitol. The Sergeant also works extensively with the U.S. Capitol Police and various intelligence agencies to assess threats to members of Congress and the Capitol.
The report did not say which House Democrats are involved in the investigation. However, one House Democrat was previously investigated by the Federal Election Commission for misappropriating campaign funds for personal safety.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) continued to pay her now-husband, Courtney Merritt, for private security even after they married.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) speaks during an interview in Northwoods, Missouri, November 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberso)n)
When Merritt was hired by the Bush campaign in January 2022, he did not have the private security license required to work in private security in St. Louis, where Bush’s entire congressional district is located. He did not receive his license until February 2023, the month the couple married.
Private security payments from the Bush campaign to Merritt totaled tens of thousands of dollars.
Mr. Bush has spent well over $500,000 from his campaign fund on private security. However, these payments came from Bush’s campaign coffers, not taxpayer funds.
President Bush has come under increased scrutiny over private security payments due to his leadership of the “defund the police” movement. She dismissed those criticisms in harsh terms.
On July 19, 2022, Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-Missouri) is detained by U.S. Capitol Police officers as she participates in a sit-in with activists from the Center for Democratic Action (CPDA) in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington. be done. , D.C. CPDA protested with House Democrats in support of abortion rights. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“So we need to kick back and defund the police,” Bush told his critics.
Mr. Bush is not the only member of the “Squad” to come under scrutiny for having a significant other on the payroll. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) allegedly paid her fees to her now-husband’s political consulting firm out of funds from her political action committee.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News’ Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
