Experts interviewed by the Washington Examiner are arguing that the fact that U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-KY) has yet to publicly disclose his personal finances suggests that those finances might be problematic. 

In fact, the experts go so far as to suggest that this may indicate that Ogles is violating federal law.

Ogles, the former mayor of Maury County, Tennessee, has just been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the recently-held 2022 midterm elections, defeating Democratic Tennessee state senator Heidi Campbell.

But, Ogles, according to the Examiner, has yet to file a financial disclosure form with the Office of the Clerk.

The law

The Ethics and Government Act - a law that was passed in 1978, following the Watergate scandal - requires all members of Congress - including officers and even some House employees - to file an annual financial disclosure form with the Office of the Clerk.

Lawmerks are required to include all "assets and earned income" on the disclosure form, which, according to the Examiner, includes "stocks, liabilities, sources of compensation exceeding $5,000 from a single source, and any agreements to receive pay."

Failure to complete the financial disclosure form could result in a fine of up to $66,000. But, a more typical penalty, according to the Examiner, is $200.

Why the delay?

The Examiner has conducted a search of the federal database, and, that search indicates that Ogles has yet to file his annual financial disclosure form.

The Examiner reports, "the glaring discrepancy may mean Ogles, who has said he helped 'negotiate' over $5 billion worth of investments as mayor, is skirting a law intended to show whether lawmakers have conflicts of interests in connection to their sources of wealth."

In its report, the Examiner quotes numerous experts who explain why Ogles's failure to file is strange, to say the least.

One expert - Jordan Libowitz, spokesman for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington - summed the matter up, explaining, "this doesn't mean that Ogles is trying to hide something from his constituents, but he's sure making it look like he is."

There's nothing but silence from Ogles

To be clear, Ogles is not the only congress member who has yet to file the financial disclosure. For example, U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) - the embattled new congressman who has admitted to lying about his background - also hasn't filed his financial disclosure.

Santos, though, probably isn't the sort of company that Ogles wants to keep.

Ogles has yet to comment on the situation, which is only allowing the speculation to continue.