A newly-elected Republican congressman has admitted to misrepresenting his college major during his congressional campaign, The Washington Post reported Monday.
"Rep. Andrew Ogles (R-Tenn.), who is facing allegations of embellishing his résumé, acknowledged Monday that he misstated the degree he received from Middle Tennessee State University, claiming he learned of the discrepancy only last week after requesting an official copy of his transcript," the Post reports.
"Ogles said he mistakenly stated that he received a degree in international relations. In a statement Monday, he said his degree was for liberal studies. That is a general education degree typically for those who cannot settle on a major."
“At the time it was my understanding I had completed my course of study in Political Science and International Relations,” Ogles said.
Ogles was elected last year to a Nashville-based seat once held by longtime Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper, who retired after Republicans in the Tennessee legislature aggressively gerrymandered the district.
Earlier this month, a report found a number of discrepancies in Ogles' claims about his background. He has repeatedly described himself as an "economist" despite having no degree in economics and only having worked in an administrative position at a right-wing economic think tank. He has also claimed to have a background in law enforcement fighting international sex trafficking; in fact, he flunked out of serving as a volunteer sheriff's deputy, and briefly held a part-time job at an anti-trafficking nonprofit.
Some observers have compared the controversy over Ogles' background to the high-profile scandal around Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who fabricated almost every aspect of his life to voters, from his education to his work history to his ethnicity, and is now under multiple criminal investations for campaign finance and an allegedly fraudulent pet rescue charity. Yet another newly-elected member, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), has also come under scrutiny for inconsistencies in her life story.
