U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles says FBI seized congressional texts, emails
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U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles wants federal authorities who seized his cell phone to return text messages and emails with lawmakers and former President Trump.
Why it matters: Ogles confirmed in a social media post last month his phone was taken by the FBI as part of an investigation into campaign finance discrepancies. According to the new filing, investigators also gained access to his Gmail account.
- Ogles says the phone and email account contain messages and documents related to his work as a member of Congress. Federal investigators have not yet gone through the data in question, according to the new filing.
The latest: Ogles argues in the Tuesday filing that federal laws protect such "legislative materials."
- Ogles asked the court for permission to review the data stored on his phone and remove the documents related to his legislative work.
The intrigue: According to the filing, the records in question include communications between Ogles and other House members during the fraught effort to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and eventually replace him with current Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
- Ogles, who is represented by former federal prosecutor Alex Little and prominent Nashville attorney David Raybin, said the Justice Department has no right to "rummage through" his legislative work.
Flashback: Ogles amended a series of campaign finance disclosures after they were subject to an ethics complaint earlier this year. He notably removed a $300,000 personal loan, which he had reported on previous disclosures.
Zoom in: Ogles linked the searches to a campaign finance investigation. The filing claims he is the "subject" in the federal investigation rather than the "target."
What he's saying: "Last month, the Biden/Harris FBI took possession of my cell phone and email account," Ogles told the conservative media outlet the Tennessee Star. "As I said back then, I will fully cooperate with investigators as I am confident that any reporting problem was at worst an honest mistake."