Rep. Andy Ogles says FBI seized his cell phone amid campaign finance investigation
United States Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) recently confirmed that the FBI executed a search warrant on his home in Maury County as a part of an ongoing investigation into Ogles’ campaign finances.
The search was conducted earlier this month after Ogles, with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, beat Republican challenger Courtney Johnston in the District 5 U.S. House primary. The Department of Justice is prohibited from taking any investigative action against a political candidate within 60 days of an election, stated WTVF, which first reported the raid.
‘The FBI took possession of my cell phone.’
The probe allegedly included a series of amended campaign financial reports in which Ogles admitted he did not personally loan his campaign $320,000, as he previously reported to the Federal Election Commission in 2022.
Last week, Ogles issued a statement confirming the investigation, noting that the FBI seized his cell phone during the raid.
“It has been widely reported for months that my campaign made mistakes in our initial financial filings. We have worked diligently with attorneys and reporting experts to correct the errors and ensure compliance going forward,” Ogles wrote in a post on X.
“It is my understanding that they are investigating the same well-known facts surrounding these filings,” he added. “Last Friday, the FBI took possession of my cell phone.”
Ogles noted that he plans to “fully cooperate” with the investigation and the FEC.
“I am confident all involved will conclude that the reporting discrepancies were based on honest mistakes, and nothing more,” he concluded.
The FBI denied WTVF’s request for comment, deferring to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. A spokesperson for the office told the news outlet, “Pursuant to department policy, we have no comment.”
The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics earlier this year, requesting an investigation into Ogles for allegedly “violat[ing] financial disclosure requirements.”
“Specifically, Rep. Ogles’ financial disclosure statements do not include the assets that he purportedly used to personally loan $320,000 to his campaign committee in April 2022. He also did not report a $700,000 line of credit that he apparently opened in September 2022, according to bank records,” the nonprofit wrote.
Blaze News reached out to Ogles’ office for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
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