Rep. Cori Bush married security guard, ‘the love of her life,’ chief of staff says
Ryan King
Video Embed
Rep. Cori Bush’s (D-MO) chief of staff confirmed reports and celebrated the congresswoman’s recent marriage to a campaign security guard earlier this month.
An outspoken proponent of “defund the police” who hired private security and a member of the progressive “Squad,” Bush married Cortney Merritts, who was paid over $60,000 by her team last year. The pair got married in a private ceremony in St. Louis last weekend after having filed for a marriage license on Feb. 11.
CORI BUSH MARRIES CAMPAIGN SECURITY GUARD IN PRIVATE CEREMONY: REPORT
“Mr. Merritts, an Army veteran and a security professional, has been Congresswoman Bush’s partner since before her Congressional tenure and is not employed by her Congressional office. Our team has come to know and appreciate him as a loving and caring Congressional spouse,” Abbas Alawieh, Bush’s chief of staff, tweeted.
https://mobile.twitter.com/AZAlawieh/status/1630072871069392896
During the fallout from the death of George Floyd in 2020, Bush became one of the few Democrats to publicly defend the progressive “defund the police” movement, from which many members of her party have sought to distance themselves.
“The thing about defund the police is we have to tell the entire narrative,” Bush said in defense of the mantra last year. “We can’t get caught up on the words. People spend more time focusing on the word ‘defund’ than they spend on caring and addressing the problem of police in this country.”
Despite her criticisms of law enforcement, Bush’s campaign spent $38,528 on “security services” between Oct. 20 and Nov. 28, largely to the St. Louis-based Peace Security firm, which hires security officers with a law enforcement or military background, according to news outlet KSDK.
Since she began spending significant amounts of money on campaign security in August 2020, her campaign dolled out $627,088 in expenses pertaining to security, per the report.
Most of the money from her campaign that went to Merritts stemmed from security services, though there was also a roughly $2,359 cash reimbursement, according to the report.
Congressional rules prohibit members of Congress from using campaign funds to further their lifestyle or meet personal obligations.
“Campaign funds are not to be used to enhance a Member’s lifestyle, or to pay a Member’s personal obligations,” House ethics rules say. “Members have wide discretion in determining what constitutes a bona fide campaign or political purpose to which campaign funds and resources may be devoted, but Members have no discretion whatsoever to convert campaign funds to personal use.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Alawieh took note of Bush’s backstory in which she was the victim of domestic violence and hailed her marriage.
“That she has married someone who supports her in all that she does, including as Representative of the incredible people of St. Louis, is cause for great celebration,” he continued. “Our team hopes that everyone will join us in celebrating the Congresswoman during this joyous time while respecting her privacy as she and her husband begin this new chapter together.”