NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — U.S.
Rep. Andy Ogles is hoping to fend off a Democratic opponent in Tennessee in a race complicated by an FBI investigation into the first-term Republican's campaign finances. Ogles, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, faces Democrat Maryam Abolfazli in his Republican-favoring 5th District, which includes a section of left-leaning Nashville and winds through five conservative-voting counties.
In August, Ogles said on social media the FBI had taken his cellphone in an investigation of discrepancies in his campaign finance filings from his 2022 race. He said the FBI took the phone the day after he defeated a well-funded Republican primary opponent , Nashville Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston, by 12 percentage points. Ogles was boosted by the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
Agents also have a warrant to access his personal email account, but have not looked through it yet, according to court filings. Ogles has said he is cooperating and is confident that investigators will find his errors were “based on honest mistakes.” Ogles reported making a $320,000 loan to his campaign committee in 2022.
He later amended his filings in May to show that he only loaned his campaign $20,000, telling news outlets that he originally meant to “pledge” $320,000 but that pledge was mistakenly included in his campaign reports. Ogles also was the subject of a January ethics complaint by the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center over his personal.