FBI seizes phone of Republican Rep. Andy Ogles for campaign finance probe

Ray Bogan: The FBI executed a search warrant on Congressman Andy Ogles as part of an investigation into his campaign finance filings. Ogles disclosed in a post on X that the FBI took possession of his cell phone. The Tennessee Republican said he’ll fully cooperate with the FBI just as he has with the Federal Election Commission. 

“It has been widely reported for months that my campaign made mistakes in our initial financial filings. We have worked diligently with attorneys and reporting experts to correct the errors and ensure compliance going forward,” Ogles said. 

An investigation by News Channel 5 in Nashville revealed Ogles filed a series of amended campaign finance reports. He originally filled out a form that showed he loaned his campaign $320,000, but later filed a new FEC form that revealed the amount to be only $20,000. 

As News Channel 5 discovered, it does not appear Ogles had the means to lend his campaign the six figure sum. His personal financial disclosures did not reveal any substantial investments and he did not have a savings account. 

“I am confident all involved will conclude that the reporting discrepancies were based on honest mistakes, and nothing more,” Ogles posted in response to the warrant. 

Candidates are allowed to loan their campaigns unlimited sums and be repaid for them, including after the election. 

In January, the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint against Ogles with the Office of Congressional Ethics. The CLC said Ogles financial disclosure reports appeared to have more than $1 million in discrepancies. Those include a failure to disclose the assets he used to provide the $320,000 loan, which we now know didn’t happen. The CLC also said he failed to disclose the details of a $700,000 line of credit to his campaign.