Ray Bogan: The FBI has issued a search warrant for Congressman Andy Ogles as part of an investigation into his campaign finance records. Ogles announced in a post on X that the FBI had seized his cellphone. The Tennessee Republican said he would cooperate fully with the FBI, just as he has with the Federal Election Commission.

“It has been widely reported for months that my campaign made errors in our initial financial filings. We have worked diligently with attorneys and reporting experts to correct the errors and ensure compliance going forward,” Ogles said.

An investigation by News Channel 5 in Nashville found that Ogles filed a series of amended campaign finance reports. He originally filled out a form showing he had loaned his campaign $320,000, but later filed a new FEC form showing the amount was only $20,000.

As News Channel 5 found, Ogles did not appear to have the means to loan his campaign the six-figure sum. His personal financial records showed no significant investments and he had no savings account.

“I am confident that all parties involved will conclude that the discrepancies in reporting were based on honest errors and nothing else,” Ogles wrote in his response to the arrest warrant.

Candidates are allowed to lend unlimited amounts to their campaign teams and to demand repayment even after the election.

In January, the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint against Ogles with the Office of Congressional Ethics. The CLC said Ogles’ financial statements appeared to contain over a million dollars in discrepancies. This included his failure to disclose what assets he used to make the $320,000 loan, which we now know he did not. The CLC also said he failed to disclose the details of a $700,000 line of credit for his campaign.