February 1, 2024
Cori Bush Investigated By Department of Justice For Hiring Husband As Part of Security Team
The family has to get paid too, right?
After an investigation subpoena was read on the House floor, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) confirmed that the Department of Justice is investigating the use of her campaign’s security spending, NPR reports.
The congresswoman, who represented the St. Louis district, said she hired her husband as part of her security team and can prove his services are at or below market rate.
“Since before I was sworn into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life,” Bush said. “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.”
Ethics rules for members of the House of Representatives grant permission for family members to be paid from campaign funds for “bona fide services” as long as payments don’t go over “fair market value.” Bush said she is fully cooperating with the DOJ as well as the Federal Election Commission and House Committee on Ethics. So far, Bush said no evidence of wrongdoing has been presented.
According to Fox News, Bush blamed the investigation on “right-wing organizations.” “I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services,” she said. “Any reporting that I have used federal funds for personal security is simply false.”
One of those groups is the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT). After reacting to the news, FACT defended filing a complaint with the FEC in 2023 against Bush, alleging she made repeated payments to her now-husband.
“In her own FEC filings, the payments were initially characterized as being for ‘security,’” executive director Kendra Arnold said.
“Among the many troubling facts involved that we strongly felt justified an investigation was her close personal relationship, her large payments to others for the same services at the same time and that her husband reportedly didn’t have a license to provide those services.”
Security has been a growing issue for elected officials, in large part following the Jan. 6, 2001, U.S. Capitol attack. Capitol Police facilitated more than 8,000 threats made against lawmakers, a vast increase from over 5,000 made in 2018.
In 2021, Bush took safety into her own hands by having her office moved away from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a star in the MAGA universe . Bush accused the outspoken conservative of berating her in a hallway on Jan. 13, 2021
