House Democrat Being Probed by DOJ for Allegedly Misusing Campaign Funds

A congresswoman is under federal investigation for alleged misuse of campaign funds.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Ms. Bush confirmed on Jan. 30.

“I hold myself, my campaign, and my position to the highest levels of integrity. I also believe in transparency which is why I can confirm that the Department of Justice is reviewing my campaign’s spending security services,” Ms. Bush said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating in this investigation.”

The DOJ has declined to comment.

Ms. Bush, 47, is a nurse and Black Lives Matter activist who was first elected in 2020 and won reelection in 2022.

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Some of the money went to Courtney Merritts, who local broadcasters reported lacks a St. Louis private security license and also is not in a database for those licensed in the Washington area.

Additionally, Ms. Bush married Mr. Merritts in 2023 and reportedly began a relationship with him in 2021.

Federal rules prohibit candidates from using campaign funds for “personal use,” including payments to family members who are not providing “bona fide“ services to the campaign.

“It appears Rep. Bush’s campaign may have made payments for services that were unnecessary or above fair market value because of her personal relationship with the payee. If so, these payments would qualify as either impermissible payments to a family member or an impermissible gift,” Kendra Arnold, executive director of the watchdog, told the Federal Election Commission in the complaint.

She said the facts in the case raised concerns and should spur an investigation.

Ms. Bush said Tuesday that even before she entered office she had faced threats.

“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,” she said.

Mr. Merritts could not be reached for comment.

Reports this week said the subpoena revealed by the House sergeant at arms was part of an investigation into a member’s spending on security.

The House clerk on Monday in Washington read a letter from House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland, who said that his office had been served with a grand jury subpoena from the DOJ.

“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,” said Mr. McFarland, who was appointed by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) when he was House speaker.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Mr. McFarland have not responded to requests for comment.

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, declined to comment on the subpoena in a press conference.

“That’s something for the Justice Department,” Mr. Aguilar said.

Ms. Bush said that in addition to the DOJ, she is being probed by the Federal Election Commission and the House Ethics Committee. The Office of Congressional Ethics, she said, has reviewed the matter and said the case should be dismissed. That office makes referrals to the House Ethics Committee, which often takes months to complete investigations.

“I look forward to this same outcome from all pending investigations,” Ms. Bush said.

Ms. Bush acknowledged she paid her husband but said the payments were legal.

“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,” Ms. Bush said.

Ms. Bush kept paying Mr. Merritts following their marriage, including $2,500 on Sept. 26, 2023, according to federal records. The category of expense for the payments to Mr. Merritts used to be security services but, for more recent payments, is wage expenses.

Ms. Bush previously defended spending so much on private security as she advocated for slashing funds for police departments.