GOP accused of yet another scandal as ethics complaint targets congressman
A nonpartisan watchdog group has asked for a federal investigation of Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) over major discrepancies in his financial disclosures.
The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) compared the Tennessee Republican to disgraced former congressman George Santos (R-NY) in a complaint filed Tuesday with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) alleging that Ogles had misrepresented his background and failed to properly report personal loans to his campaign, reported WTVF-TV.
"The expulsion of Representative George Santos for filing false financial disclosure statements and other ethics violations demonstrates why investigations of significant discrepancies in a candidate’s financial reporting are warranted," the CLC complaint states. "Unexplained inconsistencies in Rep. Ogles’ reported finances and allegations of him misrepresenting his background raise fundamental questions for voters about the transparency of their elected representative."
The complaint repeatedly cited reporting from the TV station in its complaint alleging that Ogles had personally loaned $320,0000 to his campaign last year, but his financial disclosure reports do not show he had the assets — including any checking or savings accounts — to make that possible.
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"While it is possible that Rep. Ogles has a non-interest-bearing bank account, it would be highly unlikely that such an account would contain such a substantial amount of money like the $320,000 he loaned to his campaign," the complaint states.
The CLC also urged the ethics office to investigate the lawmaker's failure to disclose a $700,000 line of credit with FirstBank discovered by WTVF reporters.
The TV station previously revealed that Ogles had raised nearly $25,000 for a children's burial garden following the stillborn death of his child, but that memorial was never built and he has refused to provide evidence of what he did with those funds, and he was also fined $5,750 by the Federal Election Commission for multiple reporting violations associated with his campaign.
"In conclusion, the similarities between Rep. Ogles and Rep. Santos should not be ignored," the complaint states.