NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — 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.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates discovered that, like Santos, Ogles has misrepresented his educational and business credentials.
"The expulsion of Representative George Santos for filing false financial disclosure statements and other ethics violations demonstrates why investigations of significant discrepancies in a candidate’s financial reporting are warranted," the CLC complaint says.
"Unexplained inconsistencies in Rep. Ogles’ reported finances and allegations of him misrepresenting his background raise fundamental questions for voters about the transparency of their elected representative."
Campaign Legal Center was founded in 2002 by its current president, Trevor Potter, a former GOP commissioner on the Federal Election Commission.
The federal Office of Congressional Ethics is an independent agency created by the U.S. House of Representatives to review allegations of misconduct and, when appropriate, to refer those matters to the House Ethics Committee.
Specifically, in its complaint, the CLC notes the Maury County Republican's claim to have personally loaned $320,0000 to his 2022 campaign for Congress, "but Rep. Ogles’ financial disclosure reports do not disclose assets that would allow him to make this loan."
As NewsChannel 5 previously reported, on financial disclosures filed with the U.S. House of Representatives, Ogles did not disclose any checking or savings accounts.
In a footnote, the CLC notes that "bank accounts only must be reported in a candidate or member's financial disclosure report if they are interest bearing."
"While it is possible that Rep. Ogles has a non-interest-bearing bank account, it would be highly unlikely that such an account would contain such a substantial amount of money like the $320,000 he loaned to his campaign," it adds.
The Campaign Legal Center also urges the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate Ogles' failure to disclose a $700,000 line of credit with FirstBank that was discovered by NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
"In conclusion, the similarities between Rep. Ogles and Rep. Santos should not be ignored," the complaint argues.
It cites NewsChannel 5's revelation that Ogles misrepresented his educational and professional credentials, including his claims to be an economist, a trained law enforcement officer and an expert in "international sex crimes."
Our investigation discovered that he had used the stillborn death of a child to raise nearly $25,000 for a children's burial garden that was never built. Ogles has refused to provide evidence of what he did with the money.
The Tennessee Republican has also been fined $5,750 by the Federal Election Commission for multiple reporting violations associated with his campaign account.
"Although Rep. Ogles’ statements about his background and the prior FEC complaints against him are not the subject of this complaint, these matters demonstrate a pattern of inaccurate information on the public record supporting an investigation of his substantial financial disclosure discrepancies," the CLC complaint concludes.
Ogles has not responded to any of NewsChannel 5's inquiries.
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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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