Rep. Cori Bush rolls out predictable excuse after she is revealed as target of DOJ criminal investigation

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) confirmed on Tuesday that she is the subject of a Justice Department investigation related to her spending on security services.

For years, Bush has been accused of unethically spending large sums of campaign dollars to pay for security services. But that scrutiny took a new turn last year when Bush married Cortney Merritts, whom her campaign has now paid more than $100,000 for security services and "wage expenses," the Washington Post noted.

In a statement confirming that she is the subject of a federal criminal investigation, Bush denied misusing taxpayer money.

"I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services. Any reporting that I have used federal funds for personal security is simply false," she said.

The "Squad" member, though, appeared to confirm a detail about the investigation: that it centers on the money she has paid to her now-husband. Bush said:

In particular, the nature of these allegations have been around my husband's role on the campaign. In accordance with all applicable rules, I retained my husband as part of my security team to provide security services because he has had extensive experience in this area, and is able to provide the necessary services at or below a fair market rate.

However, what Bush failed to include in her statement is a central critique of her husband's security work: that he lacks a private security license.

The New York Times, citing sources familiar with the investigation, confirmed that federal investigators are focusing on "Ms. Bush's security expenditures and the involvement of Mr. Merritts."

Predictably, Bush blamed the DOJ investigation on "right-wing organizations" and "baseless complaints" that she claimed are "simply not true," positioning herself as an honest lawmaker who is being unfairly targeted.

"I am under no illusion that these right-wing organizations will stop politicizing and pursuing efforts to attack me and the work that the people of St. Louis sent me to Congress to do: to lead boldly, to legislate change my constituents can feel, and to save lives," Bush said.

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