Cortney Merritts, the husband of former left-wing congresswoman Cori Bush, has been indicted for allegedly defrauding the federal government. The charges stem from accusations that Merritts illegally obtained tens of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds through false applications, the Washington Free Beacon reports.
According to a statement from the Department of Justice, Merritts is accused of falsifying information about his businesses to secure over $20,000 in loans from the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021. These loans were part of the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.
Cori Bush, who previously represented St. Louis, lost a primary election last year, which she controversially attributed to Jewish influence. As a former member of the far-left “Squad” with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, Bush has faced scrutiny for her political stances, including her refusal to label Hamas as a terrorist group and her vote against a resolution to bar Hamas terrorists from entering the United States.
This indictment follows a DOJ investigation launched approximately a year ago into Bush’s campaign payments to Merritts. Bush’s campaign spent over $812,000 on “questionable” private security services, with more than $150,000 going to her husband. Even after the investigation began, Bush continued to pay Merritts $5,000 per month from her campaign funds for “security services,” according to reports from the Washington Free Beacon.
Additionally, Bush has been criticized for directing tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to Nathaniel Davis III, a close friend who claims to possess supernatural abilities, for “security services,” as reported by the Free Beacon.
