FBI raids Republican Andy Ogles over campaign finance reporting
The FBI raided the home of Tennessee Republican Andy Ogles and seized his cell phone.
The show of force is part of an investigation into Ogles' campaign finance reporting. Ogles, who is serving his first term, said the discrepancies were the result of "honest mistakes."
FBI raids Republican
The controversy centers on a $320,000 personal loan that Ogles reported making to his campaign in 2022.
The loan raised eyebrows because Ogles did not report enough assets to cover it. Ogles then filed amendments in May of this year saying the loan was only $20,000 and the remainder was a "pledge" of everything he owns.
“I’m not a wealthy man who can self-fund the millions of dollars needed to run a congressional campaign,” Ogles told the Tennessean. “I am a grassroots representative, and I pledged everything I own to run for the honor of representing Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District.”
“While we ultimately needed to transfer $20,000, unfortunately, the full amount of my pledge was mistakenly included on my campaign’s FEC reports,” he said.
The Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group, filed a complaint in January alleging that Ogles failed to report $1,000,000 in assets and liabilities, including a $700,000 line of credit.
Honest mistake?
NewsChannel 5 in Nashville first reported the FBI raid, which happened a day after Ogles won his Aug. 1 primary against Nashville Metro council member Courtney Johnston.
Ogles confirmed the raid happened but said it was the result of well-publicized "honest mistakes" in his financial disclosures.
"It has been widely reported for months that my campaign made mistakes in our initial financial filing," he wrote. "We have worked diligently with attorneys and reporting experts to correct the errors and ensure compliance going forward. Last Friday, the FBI took possession of my cell phone. It is my understanding that they are investigating the same well-known facts surrounding these filings. I will of course fully cooperate with them, just as I have with the Federal Election Commission. I am confident all involved will conclude that the reporting discrepancies were based on honest mistakes, and nothing more."
The Tennessee Star reports that the prosecutor who oversaw the warrant once worked for Jack Smith, who is prosecuting President Trump.
The raid of Ogles' home came shortly after he introduced articles of impeachment against Kamala Harris.