SQUAD Cori Bush is Still Paying Her Husband from Campaign Fund Despite Investigation . Rep. Cori Bush is facing scrutiny for paying her husband, Cortney Merritts, $15,000 from her campaign committee this year, despite an ongoing Justice Department probe into her campaign spending. The payments, which total $135,000 since January 2022, have been listed as “wage expenses” since April 2023.
Bush has defended the payments, stating that she retained Merritts as part of her security team due to his extensive experience in the area and his ability to provide services at or below fair market value. However, Merritts does not have a private security license, and his online accounts indicate that he worked at a railroad company for years before starting a moving company.
Watchdog groups have filed at least two complaints against Bush over the security payments, with one still pending. The House Ethics Committee has cleared Bush in a second complaint, but the issue remains a concern for many.
The payments to Merritts have also raised questions about Bush’s campaign spending, as she has simultaneously spent significantly more on St. Louis-based companies for private security detail. She has spent over $770,000 on such services, leading some to wonder why she is paying her husband for security services when she is already spending large amounts on other security companies.
Bush’s campaign has declined to respond to multiple inquiries about the payments, and Merritts has appeared to backtrack on his role in the campaign when confronted by a videographer. Despite this, FEC filings show that Bush is still paying Merritts for security services, and her campaign is facing a significant cash disadvantage in the Democratic primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
Bush’s opponent, Wesley Bell, a progressive prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County, has more than double the amount of cash on hand, with $1.14 million in his war chest. Bell is also backed by wealthy Democratic donors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who contributed the maximum of $6,600 to his campaign.
A recent poll found that Bush may also be in trouble come August, with Bell currently up by 22 points over the “Squad” member. This has led some to wonder if Bush’s campaign spending and her payments to her husband will be a factor in the upcoming primary.
The issue of Bush’s campaign spending and her payments to her husband has raised questions about her judgment and transparency. While politicians are allowed to pay family members for bona fide services at fair market value, the large amount of money Bush has paid to her husband, combined with her campaign’s significant spending on other security companies, has raised eyebrows.
“I’m still in the campaign; I still do security with the campaign. Have a good night, man. Be safe,” Merritts said before getting into a car with Bush.
The situation is particularly concerning given the ongoing Justice Department probe into Bush’s campaign spending. The probe, which was launched in January, is investigating whether Bush’s campaign violated federal election laws by paying her husband for security services without proper disclosure.
Bush’s campaign has maintained that the payments to Merritts were proper and in line with federal election laws, but the ongoing probe and the recent FEC filings have raised questions about the campaign’s transparency and accountability.
The issue is also likely to be a factor in the upcoming primary, as voters may view Bush’s campaign spending and her payments to her husband as a sign of poor judgment and a lack of transparency. Bell, on the other hand, has positioned himself as a more accountable and transparent candidate, and his campaign’s significant cash advantage may give him an edge in the primary.
