Rep. Cori Bush is under scrutiny for her campaign’s spending on private security, including payments to her husband.
New filings show that she paid her husband an additional $17,500 from her committee in recent months.
This adds to the $120,000 her husband has received from her campaign.
The payments have raised concerns, particularly because her husband did not have a private security license and his role in the campaign has been unclear.
“I have a question for you. What’s your role on the campaign right now?” a videographer asked.
“I don’t have a role in the campaign, man,” Cortney Merritts said.
“You don’t have a role at all?” the videographer asked. “They were reporting you had wages on the campaign for security, and then it was a general wage. I was just wondering what you’ve been doing on the campaign?”
“Yeah, I mean you can Google what it is,” Merritts said. “You can also Google what happened with the FEC report came back 5-0, that it was all completely above board.”
“So you’re not doing any more work with her campaign?” the videographer pressed.
“Am I doing work with the campaign?” Merritts said. “Obviously, I am. I’m still [inaudible], right?”
“You’re still a part of it?” the videographer asked.
“Am I still employed with it? Yes, so obviously, I’m going to work with it,” Merritts said. “What’s this whole ‘gotcha’ s—? I’m not a politician, man, so ask me a question, man-to-man, and I’ll answer. So what’s your question?”
“That was it, about the campaign,” the videographer said.
“I’m still in the campaign; I still do security with the campaign. Have a good night, man. Be safe,” Merritts said.
The Justice Department is investigating the campaign’s spending on security services, and Bush stated that her office is fully cooperating with ongoing investigations by the Federal Election Commission, the House Committee on Ethics, and the Department of Justice.
“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.”
“These frivolous complaints have resulted in a number of investigations, some of which are still ongoing,” Bush said. “The Federal Election Commission and the House Committee on Ethics are currently reviewing the matter, as is the Department of Justice. We are fully cooperating in all of these pending investigations.”
