The FBI seized the cellphone of Republican Rep. Andy Ogles (TN) while executing a search warrant on his office, the lawmaker announced Tuesday.
The seizures are part of a campaign finance investigation. The congressman acknowledged in a post on X that members of his team “made errors in our initial financial filings,” but reiterated that they “worked diligently with lawyers and reporting experts to correct the errors and ensure compliance going forward.”
Ogles added: “I will, of course, cooperate fully with them, as I have done with the Federal Election Commission. I am confident that all parties involved will conclude that the discrepancies in reporting were based on honest errors and nothing else.”
It has been widely reported for months that my campaign made errors in our initial financial filings. We have worked diligently with attorneys and reporting experts to correct the errors and ensure compliance going forward. Last Friday, the FBI seized my cellphone. …
— Congressman Andy Ogles (@AndyOgles) 6 August 2024
Representative Ogles won his primary last Thursday. seek came the day after his victory.
The execution of the search warrant came immediately after Ogles defeated Courtney Johnston in the Republican primary to seek a second term in the U.S. Congress. Justice Department guidelines generally prohibit law enforcement from taking overt action in an investigation into a political candidate in the 60 days before an election.
Back in May, Ogles filed a series of amended campaign finance reports, admitting that he had not personally loaned his campaign $320,000, as he had stated in 2022.
Further changes to his campaign finance reports resulted in Ogles retracting thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and expenditures that he had previously reported to the Federal Election Commission.
This development came several months after NewsChannel 5 Investigates raised questions about whether Ogles had the financial means to take out the personal loan. Although Ogles reported taking out the $320,000 personal loan, his personal financial disclosures showed no significant investments – not even a savings account.
A watchdog group, the Campaign Legal Center, later filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics, comparing Ogles’ conduct to disgraced New York Congressman George Santos.
Ogles introduced the second article of impeachment against Vice President Harris in July. Lawmakers accused Harris of failing in her role as border czar, citing a record number of illegal entries into the country. The article alleged that Harris misled the public and Congress about President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and refused to commit to the 25th Amendment.th Amendment removing him from office.
The article included details of crimes committed by illegal immigrants and emphasized the impact of the border crisis on public safety. Neither the first nor the second article of impeachment were pursued in the House of Representatives.
Ogles, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, defeated Nashville City Councilwoman Courtney Johnston in last week’s primary election. Despite an extensive advertising campaign launched by Johnston, the representative won in every part of the district except the Nashville suburbs.
