Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) renewed her response to criticisms surrounding a federal investigation into her campaign spending on private security.
Bush appeared on MSNBC’s The ReidOut Wednesday to respond to the controversy surrounding the money that went to Cortney Merritts, her husband since February 2023. Host Joy Reid included a clip of Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) in the same segment, apologizing to Bush before playing it, where the congressman referred to Merritts as a “thug.”
Previously, Bush responded on social media by referring to the comment as “rhetoric that endangers Black lives” and demanded that he “must apologize.” This time, she accused Nehls of racism.
“Absolutely ignorant, anti-black, racist, and sexist tropes by a sitting member of Congress who was a colleague I have never even met in person,” Bush said. “But yes, I’m going to be loud. That’s OK. If I want to be loud, if I want to be quiet, that’s my prerogative. He, you know, him putting his mouth on it just shows his racism at its best from Congress.”
In total, Bush has used $750,000 of campaign funds toward security services. Recent payments to Merritts led the Department of Justice to look into it when Bush stopped categorizing payments to Merritts as security but instead filed them as “wage expenses.” Bush claimed she hired Merritts because he was already volunteering in the position beforehand.
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“I mean, he was air assault soldier in 101st Airborne,” Bush said of her husband. “He had already worked for other companies working security even as a supervisor, so this was in his — this was in his lane.”
Merritts does not have a security license in St. Louis County or the city of St. Louis. He is not alone, as Bush’s highest-paid security guard, Nathaniel Davis III, does not have a license either.
