Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) said the FBI took possession of his cell phone last week as part of what he said was an apparent investigation into campaign finance matters.
“It has been widely reported for months that my campaign made errors in our initial financial records. We work diligently with attorneys and reporting experts to correct errors and ensure compliance moving forward,” said Ogles. said in a post on X on Tuesday.
“Last Friday, the FBI took possession of my cell phone. From what I understand, they are investigating the same well-known facts surrounding these records. Of course, I will cooperate fully with them, just as I did with the Federal Election Commission,” Ogles said. “I am confident that everyone involved will conclude that the discrepancies in the reports were based on honest mistakes and nothing more.”
Tennessee NewsChannel 5 Nashville Local Outlet gave the newsthat the FBI executed a search of Ogles on Tuesday.
The FBI’s seizure of Ogles’ cellphone came a day after he defeated a well-funded primary challenger. The Justice Department generally avoids taking action on an investigation close to an election, often referred to as the 60-day rule, although it is not set in writing.
Ogles, a first-term lawmaker and member of the House Freedom Caucus who did not immediately support former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in January 2023, won the primary with 56.5 percent of the vote, according to the Decision Desk HQ.
Ogels’ legal counsel did not immediately return The Hill’s request for comment, nor did the FBI.
Spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, Mark Wildasin, declined to comment, “per department policy.”
While federal authorities have not confirmed the reason for the search, it appears to be the latest development in Ogles being criticized over campaign finance issues and his personal biography.
At the center of the scrutiny was a $320,000 loan that Ogles reported taking out for his own 2022 campaign when it began. News Channel 5 raised questionsabout how Ogles financed this loan, since he also reported few personal assets.
The Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit watchdog, filed a complaintwith the Office of Congressional Ethics in January over the issue, saying Ogles failed to disclose “the assets he allegedly used” to make the loan, as well as failing to report a $700,000 line of credit he opened in 2022.
The complaint compared Ogles to former Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.), who famously fabricated portions of his biography and faces criminal fraud charges following his own campaign finance problems, and was expelled from Congress last year. Ogles, a NewsChannel 5 report alleged, had exaggeratedhis credentials – which the ethics complaint makes reference to, noting his claims of being “an ‘economist’ who previously worked in ‘law enforcement’ and ‘worked on international sex crimes’ or ‘human trafficking’ when he lacks a career significant or educational background in any of these fields.”
Ogles later introduced a series of changes to the Federal Election Commission’s disclosures.
Ogles said in a declaration in May, that although he had promised to lend his own campaign up to $320,000 “if necessary” – “all I have” – he only needed to transfer $20,000.
“Unfortunately, the full amount of my pledge was mistakenly included in my campaign’s FEC reports,” Ogles said in the statement, saying he is filing amendments to his FEC reports to “reflect the circumstances of my original pledge.”
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