Ogles says FBI took his phone amid probe into campaign finance
The congressman said his campaign made mistakes on its initial financial filings, which they have worked to correct, and that it was confident investigators would conclude that the errors were unintentionally made.
Tennessee conservative Rep. Andy Ogles on Tuesday shared that the FBI took his cellphone last week as part of a probe into alleged campaign finance violations.
Ogles, a first-term lawmaker who just won his first primary as an incumbent, has been the focus of an investigation since January into a $320,000 loan that the congressman initially said he made to his campaign in 2022. filed the correction to his campaign finance report back in May, where he noted that he did not loan his campaign the money. The change followed reporting questioning how he would have funded the loan, according to NewsChannel 5, because he did not report many personal assets.
The congressman said his campaign made mistakes on its initial financial filings, which they have worked to correct, and that it was confident investigators would conclude that the errors were unintentionally made.
"Last Friday, the FBI took possession of my cell phone. It is my understanding that they are investigating the same well-known facts surrounding these filings," Ogles said in a post on social media. "I will of course fully cooperate with them, just as I have with the Federal Election Commission. I am confident all involved will conclude that the reporting discrepancies were based on honest mistakes, and nothing more."
The FBI has not confirmed that the cell phone seizure was part of its probe into Ogles' campaign finances.
Ogles also retracted claims related to thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and expenditures.
Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.