Radical Democrat Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) is still funneling thousands of dollars in campaign funds to her husband, new fillings show.
Bush, a former Black Lives Matter leader, paid her husband another $15,000 from her candidate committee this year.
The payments come even as Marxist “Squad” member Bush faces a Department of Justice (DOJ) probe into her campaign spending, as Slay News previously reported.
The progressive “Squad” member’s campaign made two $2,500 wage payments to her spouse, Cortney Merritts, each month between January 1 and March 29.
The payments were revealed in documents submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) which were released this week.
In total, the Bush campaign has now paid Merritts $135,000 for “security services” since January 2022, which have been listed as “wage expenses” since April 2023.
Ironically, Bush has been one of the leading voices on Capitol Hill campaigns for the “Defund the Police” movement, all while spending tens of thousands of dollars on private security.
In January, Bush released a statement that confirmed DOJ investigators were reviewing her campaign committee’s spending on security services.
“As a rank-and-file member of Congress I am not entitled to personal protection by the House, and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services,” Bush said.
“In accordance with all applicable laws and House rules, I retained my husband as part of my security team to provide security services because he has extensive experience in this area, and is able to provide the necessary services at or below a fair market rate.”
Politicians can pay family members from their committees as long as they provide “bona fide” services at fair market value.
However, Merrits pocketed the money as Bush’s campaign simultaneously spent significantly more on St. Louis-based companies, such as PEACE Security, for private security detail.
The “Defund the Police” Democrat has spent a staggering $770,000 on private security services so far since assuming office in January 2021.
Merritts, whose online accounts and posts have indicated he worked at a railroad company for years before starting a moving company, did not have a private security license as of late February 2023.
He also did not appear in a Washington, D.C., database of licensed security specialists.
Watchdog groups have filed at least two complaints against Bush over the security payments.
The first complaint, filed by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust last year, is still pending.
The House Ethics Committee has since cleared Bush in a second complaint from the Committee to Defeat the President.
In October, Fox News confronted Merritts as the couple left a Washington, D.C., fundraiser for California Democrat candidate Derek Marshall.
During the exchange, Merritts appeared to backtrack about his role in the campaign after telling the videographer he does not have one.
“I don’t have a role in the campaign, man,” Merritts told a reporter when asked what his role in the campaign is.
However, when pressed, he said he was employed with the campaign.
“I’m still in the campaign; I still do security with the campaign,” Merritts said before getting into a car with Bush.
“Have a good night, man. Be safe.”
FEC filings also show Bush is still at a significant cash disadvantage in the Democrat primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
Ahead of the August 6 primary, Bush reported $528,622 cash on hand as of March 31.
Her opponent, Wesley Bell, a progressive prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County who differs from Bush in his Israel stance, has more than double at his disposal, with $1.14 million in his war chest.
Bell is backed by wealthy Democrat donors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
Hoffman, one of the known guests at Jeffrey Epstein’s “Pedophile Island,” contributed a maximum of $6,600 to his campaign for the primary and general elections, filings show.
A recent poll found that Bush may also be in trouble come August, however.
Bell is currently up by 22 points over Bush, the New York Post reported.
https://slaynews.com/news/democrat-cori-bush-still-funneling-campaign-funds-husband-doj-investigation/
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