Midwest
'Squad' member under DOJ investigation is still paying her husband with campaign funds, filings show
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., paid her husband another $15,000 from her candidate committee this year even as she faces a Justice Department probe into her campaign spending, new filings show.
The progressive “Squad” member’s campaign made two $2,500 wage payments to her spouse, Cortney Merritts, each month between January 1 and March 29, according to documents submitted to the Federal Election Commission and released on Monday.
In total, the Bush campaign has now paid Merritts $135,000 for security services since January 2022, which have been listed as “wage expenses” since April 2023.
The Bush campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CORI BUSH’S CAMPAIGN PAYS $17,500 MORE TO HER HUSBAND, BRINGING HIS TOTAL TO $120k, NEW FILINGS SHOW
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), center, joins Maximus Federal Call Center workers at a protest calling on the Biden administration for higher wages and good federal jobs outside the Department of Health and Human Services on Dec. 12, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Communications Workers of America (CWA))
In January, Bush released a statement that confirmed Department of Justice investigators were reviewing her campaign committee’s spending on security services. “As a rank-and-file member of Congress I am not entitled to personal protection by the House, and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services,” Bush said.
“In accordance with all applicable laws and House rules, I retained my husband as part of my security team to provide security services because he has extensive experience in this area, and is able to provide the necessary services at or below a fair market rate.”
Politicians can pay family members from their committees as long as they provide “bona fide” services at fair market value. However, Merrits pocketed the money as Bush’s campaign simultaneously spent significantly more on St. Louis-based companies, such as PEACE Security, for private detail. She has spent over $770,000 on such services.
Merritts, whose online accounts and posts have indicated he worked at a railroad company for years before starting a moving company, did not have a private security license as of late February 2023. He also did not appear in a Washington, D.C., database of licensed security specialists, Fox News Digital previously reported.
CORI BUSH’S CAMPAIGN CONTINUES TO SHELL OUT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO HER HUSBAND FOR PRIVATE SECURITY
Watchdog groups have filed at least two complaints against Bush over the security payments. The first complaint, filed by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust last year, is still pending. The House Ethics Committee has since cleared Bush in a second complaint from the Committee to Defeat the President.
Bush’s campaign has declined to respond to multiple Fox News Digital inquiries about the payments.
In October, Fox News Digital confronted Merritts as the couple left a Washington, D.C., fundraiser for California Democrat candidate Derek Marshall. During the exchange, Merritts appeared to backtrack about his role in the campaign after telling the videographer he does not have one.
“I don’t have a role in the campaign, man,” Merritts told a videographer when asked what his role in the campaign is.
CORI BUSH’S CAMPAIGN PAID HER HUSBAND FOR SECURITY SERVICES – BUT HE DOESN’T HAVE A PRIVATE SECURITY LICENSE
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., is the subject of a Justice Department probe over her campaign spending on security services, including payments to her husband, Cortney Merritts. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
However, when pressed, he said he was employed with the campaign.
“I’m still in the campaign; I still do security with the campaign. Have a good night, man. Be safe,” Merritts said before getting into a car with Bush.
FEC filings also show Bush is still at a significant cash disadvantage in the Democratic primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
Ahead of the Aug. 6 primary, Bush reported $528,622 cash on hand as of March 31. Her opponent, Wesley Bell, a progressive prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County who differs from Bush in his Israel stance, has more than double at his disposal, with $1.14 million in his war chest.
Bell is backed by wealthy Democratic donors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who contributed the maximum of $6,600 to his campaign for the primary and general elections, filings show.
A recent poll found that Bush may also be in trouble come August. Bell is currently up by 22 points over the “Squad” member, the New York Post reported.
Fox News Digital’s Joe Schoffstall contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
You don’t need anonymous coaches to tell you that Wisconsin football was a mess in 2025.
But sometimes it helps to hear how bluntly the rest of the league sees it.
In Athlon Sports’ 2026 College Football Preview, one Big Ten coach did not exactly dance around the issue.
“They scored 81 points in nine conference games. I don’t care who your quarterback is. That speaks to a lot of bigger issues than just the quarterback position,” an anonymous Big Ten coach told Athlon Sports.
“There are teams in the conference who could not throw a single pass and score more than nine points per game. It also speaks to, defensively, your ability to make turnovers, and special teams, your ability to make kicks. I thought it was a whole package thing.”
That is harsh, but it’s also hard to argue with.
Wisconsin absolutely had quarterback problems last season. Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. got hurt. Danny O’Neil was forced into action, then got hurt. Hunter Simmons had his turn, but couldn’t take care of the ball. Carter Smith eventually entered the picture. It was not a normal year at the most important position on the field, and that context matters.
By season’s end, Wisconsin had become the first Badgers team since 1956 to have four different quarterbacks attempt at least 10 passes in a season, and the only Big Ten program to do so in 2025.
But the quarterback carousel also exposed something deeper.
The Badgers finished 132nd nationally in offensive EPA per play, 131st in EPA per dropback, and 115th in EPA per rush, per Game on Paper. They ranked 135th nationally in scoring offense at 12.8 points per game, averaged 253 yards per game, and threw for just 136.4 yards per contest.
That is not just bad quarterback play. That is system-wide dysfunction.
The offensive line had very little depth and was constantly shuffled. The run game never became reliable. The passing game lacked answers. Wisconsin could not consistently create explosives, sustain drives, or put players in position to steal easy yards. At some point, injuries stop being the explanation and start becoming part of a larger failure to adjust.
And while the offense deservedly absorbed most of the criticism, the defense wasn’t without fault either. Wisconsin finished dead last nationally in turnovers forced with just five interceptions and one fumble recovery, ranked 73rd in defensive EPA per dropback, and struggled to defend the pass consistently. The pass rush improved, and the run defense was great, but the complementary football simply wasn’t there.
The next anonymous coach took that criticism a step further.
“Truthfully, I was surprised that both Wisconsin and Maryland decided to run it back with their head coaches,” another anonymous coach told Athlon Sports. “I wasn’t really impressed with either one of those teams. It almost felt like they didn’t really know who the next guy was gonna be, so they decided they’d rather have a year to prepare a move like that.”
Plenty of Wisconsin fans probably felt the same way when “Fire Fickell” chants started raining through Camp Randall Stadium.
Luke Fickell is 17-21 at Wisconsin, including 10-17 in Big Ten play. The Badgers have missed back-to-back bowl games, failed to produce an NFL Draft pick for the first time since 1978, and looked a lot closer to being a bottom-feeder in the conference than a serious contender.
In the midst of all those struggles, the athletic director, Chris McIntosh, publicly backed Fickell and promised more financial resources to the program. Then, to Wisconsin’s credit, the Badgers responded by knocking off AP Top 25 opponents Washington and Illinois down the stretch, showing there was still enough belief inside the locker room to finish the year with some fight. That, coupled with a significant roster investment through NIL and the transfer portal, bought this staff another chance.
Now there is no hiding from the expectations.
FanDuel has Wisconsin’s regular-season win total at 6.5, which feels closer to the national perception of this team. But given the schedule, the roster investment to raise the talent floor, and the years this staff has already had to build its program, seven wins should not be the ceiling.
Eight or nine wins should be on the table.
Wisconsin has seven games at home, including a neutral-site opener against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field, avoids several of the Big Ten’s heavyweights, and draws a schedule that’s far more manageable than the gauntlet this program navigated a year ago. If the increased investment was truly the missing piece, there is little room left for excuses.
And with Shawn Eichorst now stepping in as athletic director, the dynamic changes. McIntosh, who hired Fickell, was tied to him and publicly backed him through some difficult moments, is now with the Big Ten. Eichorst has deep Wisconsin ties and likely isn’t eager to make a coaching change and pay a sizable buyout figure before it’s necessary, but this is no longer the administration that made the original hire.
Fickell got the resources. He got another offseason. He got a schedule that gives them a legitimate opportunity to take a step forward.
Now he and his staff have to deliver.
At this point, there isn’t much left to sell besides results.
We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.
You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff at @DillonGraff on X.
4Warn Weather – A low pressure system moving into the Ohio Valley will bring Southeast Michigan rain chances Sunday and Monday. Rain will be scattered, not an all day event, but you’ll want to have a way to get alerts, especially if you’ll be outdoors.
Tonight temperatures will be a bit more seasonable – good news for those still without power after Friday’s storms. This evening will be comfortable. Most fireworks shows should be ok as rain will be isolated.
Overnight lows will be in the low to mid 60s with a light northeast breeze.
The chance for scattered rain will stay in the forecast tomorrow morning.
On and off rain, and possible thunderstorms, will carry throughout the day Sunday, lingering into the evening hours.
Highs tomorrow will be in the low 80s, and we’ll see more of the same Monday.
Scattered rain and storms are possible into the midday hours Monday before we look to dry out.
Tuesday and Wednesday will feature mostly sunny skies and slightly warmer temperatures, reaching the mid to upper 80s.
The next chance of rain moves in Thursday.
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