Rep. Cori Bush spoke with the press on Tuesday about the DOJ investigation into her campaign spending.
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00:00 my campaign and my position to the highest levels of integrity. I also
00:05 believe in transparency which is why I can confirm that the Department of
00:10 Justice is reviewing my campaign spending on security services. We are
00:16 fully cooperating with this investigation and I would like to take
00:20 this opportunity to outline the facts and the truth. Since before I was sworn
00:25 into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life.
00:30 As a rank-and-file member of Congress, I am not entitled to personal protection
00:35 by the House and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain
00:40 security services. I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal
00:45 security services. Any reporting that I have used funds for personal security
00:50 for personal security is simply false. In recent months, right-wing
00:56 organizations have lodged baseless complaints against me, peddling notions
01:02 that I have misused campaign funds to pay for personal security services. That
01:07 simply is not true. I have complied with all applicable laws and
01:13 House rules and will continue to prioritize the rules that govern us as
01:16 federal elected officials. In particular, the nature of these allegations have
01:21 been around my husband's role on the campaign. In accordance with all
01:24 applicable rules, I retained my husband as part of my security team to provide
01:30 security services because he has had extensive experience in this area and is
01:36 able to provide the necessary services at or below fair market rate. These
01:42 frivolous complaints have resulted in a number of investigations, some of which
01:46 are still ongoing. The Federal Election Commission and the House Committee on
01:50 Ethics are currently reviewing the matter, as is the Department of Justice.
01:54 We are fully cooperating in all these pending investigations. In September of
01:59 last year, 2023, after conducting a month long investigation, the Office of
02:04 Congressional Ethics found no wrongdoing and voted unanimously to
02:09 dismiss the case. I look forward to this same outcome from all impending
02:15 investigations, and I am under no illusion that these right wing
02:19 organizations will stop politicizing and pursuing efforts to attack me and
02:24 the work that the people of ST Louis sent me to Congress to do to lead
02:29 boldly to legislate change. My constituents can feel and to save lives.
02:34 Thank you. Have you gone to the federal grand jury? Have you spoken to federal
02:39 grand jury? Has he spoken to federal grand jury? Have you spoken to the
02:43 federal grand jury? Can you say