The family has to get paid too, right?
After an investigation subpoena was read on the House floor, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) confirmed that the Department of Justice is investigating the use of her campaign’s security spending, NPR reports.
The congresswoman, representing the St. Louis district, says she hired her husband as part of her security team and can prove his services are at or below market rate.
“Since before I was sworn into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life,” Bush said. “As a rank-and-file member of Congress, I am not entitled to personal protection by the House and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services.”
Ethics rules for members of the House of Representatives grant permission for family members to be paid from campaign funds for “bona fide services” as long as payments don’t go over “fair market value.” Bush says she is fully cooperating with the DOJ as well as the Federal Election Commission and House Committee on Ethics. So far, Bush says no evidence of wrongdoing has been presented.
According to Fox News, Bush blamed the investigation on “right-wing organizations.” “I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services,” she said. “Any reporting that I have used federal funds for personal security is simply false.”
“Among the many troubling facts involved that we strongly felt justified an investigation was her close personal relationship, her large payments to others for the same services at the same time and that her husband reportedly didn’t have a license to provide those services.”
Source: Black Enterprise
