U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) recently confirmed that the FBI executed a search warrant at his Maury County home as part of an ongoing investigation into Ogles’ campaign finances.
The search was conducted earlier this month after Ogles, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, defeated Republican challenger Courtney Johnston in the primary for U.S. House of Representatives in the 5th District. The Justice Department is prohibited from taking any investigative action against a political candidate within 60 days of an election, the department said. nowas the first to report the attack.
“The FBI confiscated my cell phone.”
The investigation allegedly included a series of amended campaign finance reports in which Ogles admitted to not personally loaning $320,000 to his campaign in 2022 as he reported to the Federal Election Commission.
Last week, Ogles released a statement acknowledging the investigation and saying the FBI seized his cell phone during the search.
“It has been widely reported for months that my campaign made errors in our initial financial reporting. We have worked diligently, working with lawyers and reporting experts, to correct those errors and ensure compliance going forward,” Ogles said in the X post.
“My understanding is that they are investigating the same well-known facts surrounding these filings,” he added. “Last Friday, the FBI confiscated my cell phone.”
Ogles said he plans to “fully cooperate” with the investigation and the FEC.
“I am confident that all involved will conclude that the discrepancies in the reports were the result of honest mistakes and nothing more,” he concluded.
The FBI declined WTVF’s request for comment, referring the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. A spokesperson for the agency told the news outlet, “In accordance with agency policy, we will not be commenting.”
The Campaign Legal Centre Complaints They contacted the Office of Congressional Ethics earlier this year, requesting an investigation into alleged “misconduct” against Ogles.[ing] “Financial Disclosure Requirements”
“Specifically, Rep. Ogles’ financial disclosure documents do not include assets he allegedly used to personally loan $320,000 to the elections committee in April 2022. He also did not report a $700,000 line of credit he supposedly opened in September 2022, according to bank records,” the nonprofit wrote.
The Blaze News reached out to Ogles’ office for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
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