Dem
51
GOP
49
Alejandro Mayorkas isn't going to be the only grist for Fox's Fani-less mill tonight. On Monday, news broke that the DoJ had sent a subpoena to the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House "for records relating to the misspending of federal security money." The implication was that a particular member was under the microscope, but it was not clear which member. Yesterday, however, we got the answer: It's Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO).
Because this is an ongoing matter, and nobody involved (except Bush) is talking to the press, it's necessary to connect the dots a bit. It is abundantly clear that Bush spends more money than any other member of the House on security: $756,748.42 since first being elected to Congress in 2018. As an outspoken, lefty Black woman representing a somewhat Southern state, in an era where some members of the other party think nothing of threatening violence against their "enemies," maybe that is necessary. She insists it is, and we are certainly in no position to know if she's right or not.
It is also abundantly clear that the DoJ thinks that Bush used public money for "personal" security needs. You might wonder how it is possible to determine when a member of Congress is paying for security in their official capacity, and when a member of Congress is paying for security in their personal capacity. After all, it is not likely that anyone is threatening Cori Bush, private citizen. Well, this is where the dot-connecting comes in.
You see, a couple of years ago, Bush ran the same playbook that Fani Willis appears to be running right now, and married the head of her security detail. His name is Cortney Merritts, and—guess what—Bush continued to use his professional services after the wedding. That's a very unwise intermixing of personal and private business, and Bush surely knew it. Again, the DoJ is not talking, but this is undoubtedly the focal point of its investigation.
Given the Machiavellian nature of modern politics, and given how very much the Republicans would like to cause a Democratic seat to be vacant for the better part of a year, we presume that Mike Johnson and his conference are going to scream bloody murder, and are going to insist that Bush be subject to the same scrutiny, and same sanction, as "George Santos." If she does get the boot, there is zero chance that her D+27 seat will flip to the Republicans. But there's every chance it will remain vacant for as long as is practicable, since Missouri's governor, Mike Parson, is a Republican. (Z)