WASHINGTON– WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is investigating whether Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri misused campaign funds for her own personal safety, the progressive lawmaker confirmed in a statement Tuesday.
Bush, a second-term lawmaker, denied any wrongdoing and said she is “cooperating fully” with federal prosecutors.
“As a rank-and-file member of Congress, I am not entitled to personal protection from the House and have instead used campaign funds as permitted to hire security services,” Bush said. “I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services.”
His statement came a day after the Justice Department subpoenaed the House Sergeant at Arms’ office to produce related documents. The Justice Department declined to comment.
Since her election to the House in 2021, Bush, a Black woman with activist roots, has been the target of attacks from the right. As a result, she has spent a substantial amount of money on private security while at the Capitol and in her St. Louis district.
Federal prosecutors have been asking questions about Bush’s security spending, threats she received and her decision to pay her now-husband Cortney Merritts campaign funds to provide security, a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press. The questions have been similar to those asked by congressional investigators conducting an ethics investigation, the person said. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The question of how Bush has been funding his security is currently being investigated by the Federal Election Commission and the House Ethics Committee. The FEC has stated that it is not technically against the rules for a member of Congress to use campaign funds for private security, as there has been a striking increase in violent threats against lawmakers in recent years. The Office of Congressional Ethics decided unanimously in October to clear Bush of any wrongdoing in the investigation of him.
“I expect this same outcome in all pending investigations,” Bush said Tuesday.
“I’m going to make sure I have security because I know there’s been an attempt on my life and I have a lot of work to do,” the former Black Lives Matter activist told CBS News in August 2021. “So if I end up spending $200,000, if I spend… 10 bucks more, you know what? I can be here to do the job.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to comment further Tuesday, saying he has not yet read Bush’s full statement on the pending investigation.
“At some point, I’m sure we’ll have communication on that,” Jeffries told reporters.
Punchbowl News was the first to report on the investigation into Bush.
___
Associated Press reporters Mike Balsamo and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.