Congressman Andy Ogles Admits Misrepresentation: $320,000 Campaign Loan Claims Not True

Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles filed 11 revisions to his campaign finance filings Wednesday, admitting that his claims to have loaned $320,000 to his campaign over the last two years were incorrect.

This comes less than six months after NewsChannel 5 conducted an exclusive investigation into whether the Maury County Republican’s campaign claims were true. Despite having declared the $320,000 personal loan, Ogles’ financial declarations revealed no significant investments, not even a savings account.

According to the 11 modifications submitted Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission, which revise filings dating back to April 2022, Ogles loaned his campaign $20,000, not the $320,000 that he previously stated.

In January, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a nonpartisan watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), citing NewsChannel 5’s allegations and connecting Ogles’ actions to those of disgraced New York Congressman George Santos.

“The expulsion of Representative George Santos for filing false financial disclosure statements and other ethics violations demonstrates why investigations of significant discrepancies in a candidate’s financial reporting are warranted,” the complaint filed by the CLC stated.

“Unexplained inconsistencies in Rep. Ogles’ reported finances and allegations of him misrepresenting his background raise fundamental questions for voters about the transparency of their elected representative.”

It is unclear what, if any, actions the Office of Congressional Ethics may have taken behind the scenes, and whether this may have influenced Ogles’ revisions.

The CLC complaint also highlighted NewsChannel 5’s disclosures that Ogles misrepresented his educational and professional credentials, including claims to be an economist, a trained law enforcement officer, and a specialist in “international sex crimes.”

Our inquiry revealed that he had manipulated the stillbirth of a kid to generate nearly $25,000 for an unbuilt children’s burial garden. Ogles has failed to produce evidence of his actions with the money.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to NewsChannel 5 for more information.