The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) has called for an investigation into Representative Cori Bush’s campaign payments to her husband for private security services. FACT filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), alleging that Bush’s campaign may have used campaign funds for personal use.
Bush’s campaign paid her husband, Cortney Merritts, $60,000 for security in 2022, despite him not having a private security license, which is required to conduct such services in the St. Louis region. Meanwhile, Bush’s campaign also spent $225,281 with PEACE Security and $50,000 with Nathaniel Davis for personal protection.
The FEC generally only allows campaign committees to spend funds for “bona fide campaign or political purposes.” Payments that are not for bona fide services at fair market value could fall under one of two prohibited categories, including “payments to family members” or “gifts.”
The complaint alleges that Bush’s campaign may have made payments for services that were unnecessary or above fair market value because of her personal relationship with Merritts. If so, these payments would qualify as either impermissible payments to a family member or an impermissible gift.
The complaint states:
“Therefore, we request the FEC investigate whether Rep. Bush converted campaign funds for personal use by paying a salary that was not for bona fide services at fair market value. Ultimately, if one or more campaign laws are found to have been broken, we request the FEC hold the respondents accountable.”
KSDK reported that Bush and Merritts recently wed in a private ceremony, and Bush’s office confirmed their marriage on Monday morning. Merritts collected the payments from Bush’s campaign despite not having a private security license in the city of St. Louis or St. Louis County, which includes Bush’s entire congressional district. Merritts also does not appear in a Washington, D.C., database of licensed security professionals.
Bush’s campaign sent Merritts bi-monthly $2,500 checks totaling $60,000 last year, while it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on private security detail with PEACE Security and Davis. Merritts was also reimbursed $2,359.59 for travel-related costs.
Kendra Arnold, FACT’s executive director, told Fox News Digital that “Any time a member of Congress puts someone with a close personal relationship on the campaign payroll, increased scrutiny is necessary to ensure the legal standard has been met, which in this case are that the payments were for ‘bona fide services at a fair market value.'”
The FEC said that it cannot comment on pending or potential enforcement matters. If the FEC finds that campaign laws were broken, it could hold the respondents accountable.
Source: FoxNews
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