Department of Justice is investigating how Cori Bush handles campaign funds

The Justice Department is investigating whether Rep. Cori Bush mishandled campaign funds, including when she hired her romantic partner — who is now her husband — to provide her with security services, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Office of Congressional Ethics last year investigated Mrs. Bush, a Missouri Democrat. The agency voted to dismiss the charges after concluding that her husband, Cortney Merritts, had done “bona fide” security work and did not appear to have been overpaid, and that Mrs. Bush faced a level of threats that justified the work.

Mrs. Bush has spoken out about the death threats she has received on Capitol Hill. She spent more on security than any other member of the House of Representatives in the months following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

But the people familiar with the investigation, who spoke about it on condition of anonymity, said federal prosecutors asked questions similar to those asked by congressional investigators. The Justice Department investigation included subpoenas to members of Mrs. Bush's campaign team.

It was not immediately clear whether the federal investigation is broader than the ethics probe, but federal prosecutors have greater investigative powers than congressional investigators. Ethics investigations rarely result in discipline against members of Congress.

The investigation came to public attention Monday when the clerk of the House of Representatives read a required notice from the House sergeant-at-arms that he had received a grand jury subpoena from the Justice Department for documents.

“After consultation with the Office of General Counsel, I have determined that compliance with the subpoena is consistent with the rights and derivatives of the House,” William McFarland, the sergeant-at-arms, wrote in the notice.

Punchbowl News previously reported that the subpoena and investigation related to Mrs. Bush.

The Justice Department declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Mrs. Bush did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mrs. Bush came under investigation in 2023 after the conservative group Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust filed a complaint about her security payments.

In 2022, Mrs. Bush's campaign paid $338,193 for security, including $225,281 to a private company, Peace Security; $50,000 to Nathaniel Davis; and $60,000 to Mr. Merritts, according to the complaint.

The payments to Mr. Merritts of $2,500 were made twice a month. The complaint noted that Mr. Merritts did not have a private security license in St. Louis and that Ms. Bush and Mr. Merritts were married in February 2023.

The Federal Election Commission has ruled that lawmakers may use campaign funds to pay for security personnel against threats arising from members' status as officeholders, but the commission has emphasized that the money should only be used for “bona fide” security services.