Former Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush, once part of the infamous “Squad,” is definitely not having the best of days as an indictment against her husband was unsealed on Friday. The newly opened document reveals some details from a yearslong probe launched into him by the Justice Department concerning one of Bush’s top aides who ended up falling under scrutiny after being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars but without a whole lot to show for it.
Cortney Merritts, who tied the knot with Bush in Feb. 2023, has earned well over $150,000 while serving as the former congresswoman’s personal security guard while she served four years in office. These payments became the focal point of a huge controversy after a spotlight was blasted on Merritts who, it turns out, had now qualifications or specific training to serve in such a position.
“The indictment overlooks Merritts’s hiring and instead charges him with submitting a false application to receive federal COVID-19 benefits during the pandemic. The government alleges that the U.S. Army veteran falsified details about his business to obtain $20,000 in loans between 2020 and 2021 under the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program,” Trending Politics News reported.
“Merritts fraudulently claimed in this application that he had created this business in 2020 and that it had generated $128,000 in gross income that year. Based on Merritts’ representations about his gross income, Merritts received a $20,832 PPP loan. Merritts used the proceeds for his personal benefit and enjoyment,” the DOJ went on to write in a release that announced his arrest.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein is prosecuting the case. He served the Biden-Harris administration as part of the Justice Department. I don’t know about anyone else, but if he served in the DOJ when President Joe Biden was in office, I’m less than convinced he’ll actually do his job in this case.
Bush, an outspoken member of the far-left “Squad” group of minority lawmakers, lost her 2024 Democratic primary to a centrist challenger who pledged to put constituent services and governing over grandstanding. She has floated the possibility of another run for office.
“Running for office again is not off the table at all. I did not expect to only be in Congress for four years, and so I do believe at some point I will run again, whether it’s for Congress or something else, I don’t know,” she said in an interview with Politico in December.
Bush, 48, essentially got her start in politics in one of those rare “overnight success” situations, beating fellow Democrat Lacy Clay in Missouri during her second try to represent a part of St. Louis. Her career was marred by a ton of missteps and not-so-stellar statements.
A video came to light featuring Bush making extremely antisemitic claims. She then caused quite a stir when she claimed to be “radicalized” after her election loss and promised she would release “the other Cori.”
Even after the Washington Free Beacon reported that Bush’s husband was the target of a DOJ investigation, she continued to pay him a $5,000-a-month salary for “security services.” During her time in office, she spent approximately $815,000 on related expenses.
“Nathaniel Davis III, another individual Bush hired for protection, has previously said he possesses supernatural abilities, allowing him to control the weather and conjure tornadoes,” the article concluded.
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