NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — New Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles has claimed to have done graduate work at highly respected business schools at Vanderbilt and Dartmouth universities, but is it true?
Not really.
This follows an exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation that's making national headlines, an investigation of Andy Ogles' claims to be an economist, former law enforcement officer, even an international sex crimes expert.
That investigation was the talk of the town Friday in Nashville on morning talk radio.
Related stories:
Economist, cop, international sex crimes expert? The stories of Andy Ogles
Freshman GOP congressman ignores federal disclosure law
"I love you people challenging me to cover the story. Of course, I'm going to cover the story. It's news," morning host Dan Mandis told listeners.
"So basically the accusation is that Andy has been enhancing or exaggerating what he's done."
Andy Ogles' congressional website claims he graduated from Middle Tennessee State University, "where he studied policy and economics."
But NewsChannel 5 Investigates obtained a resume showing the Tennessee Republican's degree was not in economics, but in international relations with minors in psychology and English.
"So when Andy says — and he has many times — that he's an economist, what exactly does that mean?" Mandis asked.
The talk radio host pointed to Ogles' biography on the political website, Ballotpedia.
"Now, Ballotpedia says that Andy Ogles ... received a B.S. in International Relations from MTSU and went to Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management, as well as Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business," Mandis noted.
"So, I don't know."
In fact, for a candidates' questionnaire in his hometown newspaperwhen he ran for Maury County mayor in 2018, Ogles listed his employment as "economist, tax policy expert" and claimed graduate education from Vanderbilt's respected Owen school.
A bio for the conservative Club for Growth also says he "pursued his graduate work in Marketing at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management."
But then-candidate Ogles hesitated last year when asked about his educational credentials at a GOP candidates forum.
"He's also an Owen school of business graduate, right?" the moderator asked Ogles.
"Executive education, yes, ma'am," he quietly replied.
The truth, we discovered, is that Ogles received certificates for participating in non-degree classes at Vanderbilt and Dartmouth.
The types of courses that Andy Ogles took at Vanderbilt and Dartmouth are called executive education. They're designed to help people with their careers and to generate revenue for the universities.
Experts say such courses are not where you would go, for example, to train to be an economist.
Dartmouth tells NewsChannel 5 Investigates that their online classes were produced with an outside vendor.
Ogles got a certificate in marketing, for which Dartmouth's web page in 2008 listed six courses, each of which could be completed in "two to three hours."
Those questions are on top of Ogles' claims to be a former member of law enforcement. He was really a volunteer reserve sheriff's deputy for about two years.
Curiously, Ogles went through a contested Republican primary without his claims ever being challenged.
MTSU political science professor John Vile said that, just like the situation with New York Congressman George Santos, candidates can slip through because of declining media resources, as well as a decline in the power of political parties.
"Local media is somewhat hollowed out from what it used to be," Vile noted.
"One of the downsides of political parties was the notion of people meeting in smoke-filled rooms and coming to decisions, but one of the advantages was some of these sort of old timers had a better idea of, you know, people's reputation outside of the media."
Do you have information for our investigation? Email us: investigate@newschannel5.com