(UnitedVoice.com) – “The Squad” is an infamous group of progressive members of Congress who push a far-left agenda. The original members are Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). In 2021, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) also became a part of the group, but she is now under federal investigation.
The Justice Department is currently investigating whether Bush mishandled campaign funds by hiring her boyfriend, who is now her husband, to handle her security detail. The Black Lives Matter activist has served in Congress since 2021. In the months following the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol Building, she was vocal about receiving death threats. She said that she faced “relentless threats to [her] physical safety and life.”
Bush hired security to protect her in the wake of the threats. Cortney Merritts, her now-husband, provided those services to her. According to The New York Times, she spent more on security than any other House member in the months that followed the attack — paying nearly $400,000 for such services.
The Office of Congressional Ethics investigated Bush in 2023 and cleared her of any wrongdoing. The Federal Election Commission rules allow candidates to hire their family members if they are providing a “bona fide service” at the “fair market value.” The committee determined Merritts was providing security and no rules had been broken.
According to sources familiar with the DOJ investigation, officials are asking similar questions to the ones the Office of Congressional Ethics did. Investigators also issued a grand jury subpoena to the House Sergeant at Arms for files and documents. The DOJ also subpoenaed her campaign team. It’s not clear if federal authorities are investigating other issues or if it’s just about the security work.
In addition to the federal probe, the House Ethics Committee is also investigating. Bush said she is cooperating with the investigation, and she has not used federal funds to pay for security.
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