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.
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"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."
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Do you have information that would help me with my investigation? Send me your tips: phil.williams@newschannel5.com
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January 26, 2023: Tennessee's newest congressman, Rep. Andy Ogles, quickly became a key player in the battle for control of the House. But a NewsChannel 5 investigation discovered the freshman Republican has never complied with a federal law required of all congressional candidates.
February 16, 2023: If you believe Middle Tennessee's newest congressman, he's not only a businessman, he's also an economist, a nationally recognized expert in tax policy and health care, a trained police officer, even an expert in international sex crimes. But an exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation discovered that Andy Ogles' personal life story is filled with exaggerations, a story that's often too good to be true.
February 17, 2023: 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.
February 21, 2023: "My body of work speaks for itself." That was the reaction Tuesday morning from freshman Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles to days of controversy following a NewsChannel 5 investigation into his claims to be an economist, a trained police officer, even an expert in international sex crimes.
February 27, 2023: What was in Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles' college transcript that he didn't want you to see? NewsChannel 5 Investigates now has the answer.
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March 16, 2023: A new day brings new stories from Congressman Andy Ogles as he attempts to explain away a controversial GoFundMe drive.
Novembe 29, 2023: Where did Congressman Andy Ogles get $320,000 that he claims to have loaned his campaign? Now in Congress, NewsChannel 5 Investigates discovered that Ogles has not disclosed any substantial investments. He doesn't even report having a savings account.
January 9, 2024: A nonpartisan watchdog group has asked a federal ethics agency to investigate Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles over $1 million of discrepancies in financial disclosures he was required to file with the U.S. House. The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) repeatedly cites NewsChannel 5's reporting in the complaint that was filed Tuesday with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), comparing Ogles' conduct to disgraced New York Congressman George Santos.
May 22, 2024: Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles filed 11 amendments to his campaign finance reports Wednesday, acknowledging that his claims for the last two years to have loaned $320,000 to his campaign were not true.
August 6, 2024: FBI agents executed a search warrant late last week on Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles as the first-term Republican faces continuing scrutiny over fraudulent campaign financial reports that he filed, NewsChannel 5 has confirmed.
January 6, 2025: A recent release from the U.S. House Ethics Committee points to a worsening legal situation for Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles,who now faces a congressional investigation into a $320,000 campaign contribution that he appears to have completely fabricated.
January 8, 2025: Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles — with the help of a team of high-powered lawyers — has quietly managed to tie up an FBI investigation into his campaign finances for the past five months, NewsChannel 5 has discovered.