An "urgent" job posting for Representative Cori Bush's team has surfaced in the wake of the congresswoman's confirmation that she is the subject of multiple investigations, including a Department of Justice probe.
A Tuesday listing posted to Daybook, a job search website for political, policy and non-profit jobs, said that Bush was "urgently hiring" for a communications and staff assistant to serve in the dual role at her congressional office. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, January 31.
Bush's team told Newsweek that the job was initially posted on her campaign page and X, formerly Twitter, account on January 23, before the news of the DOJ investigation broke and that her office had never engaged with Daybook. The original listing did not list the job as "urgent," but the deadline to apply was the same as the Daybook posting.
The Daybook opening was posted the same day that Bush confirmed she was being investigated by the DOJ, the House Ethics Committee and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in relation to her use of campaign donations and the hiring of her husband as part of her security team. She said she is fully cooperating with the DOJ probe but denied allegations that she used federal funds to pay for personal security.
"Since before I was sworn into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life," the Missouri Democrat said in a Tuesday statement. "As a rank-and-file member of Congress I am not entitled to personal protection by the House, and instead have used campaign funs as permissible to retain security services. I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services. Any reporting that I have used federal funds for personal security is simply false."
The job posting said that Bush's office is looking for "an eager, organized, and detail-oriented individual" to assist daily communications and operations, with responsibilities including "managing the front office which consists of answering phones, welcoming visitors, and logging constituent opinions."
The ideal candidate is described as someone with administrative experience, although they don't need to have been a former Hill staffer. The listing describes the role as requiring "excellent writing skills, attention to detail, ability to multitask, work well under pressure, flexible work schedule, and some nights and weekend work required." The salary range for the position is $55,000 to $58,0000.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a nonpartisan ethics watchdog, filed a complaint with the FEC in March, alleging that Bush's campaign paid $60,000 to a person named Cortney Merritts for security services. Merritts had a personal relationship with Bush before she was elected to Congress. They married in February 2023.
Because the complaint alleged that Merritts did not have the security license required to perform services in the area of Bush's district, FACT called for the FEC to investigate whether the payments made to him were a fair market rate, and if not, whether they counted as "a impermissible gift or a payment to a family member."
Politico reported that Bush spent more than $129,000 on private security in first three quarters of 2023. The last quarter has not yet been filed. Of those costs, $42,500 were paid by her campaign to Merritts for "wage expense" and "security services."
Lawmakers are prohibited from hiring close family members under House rules, but the ban does not extend to campaigns, which is why Bush argued that she was allowed to retain her husband as part of her security detail. She also noted his "extensive experience in this area" as part of her decision to keep him on staff.
On Tuesday, Bush slammed the complaints filed against her as "frivolous" and blamed far-right groups for the probes.
"In recent months, right-wing organizations have lodged baseless complaints against me, peddling notions that I have misused campaign funds to pay for personal security services," she said. "That is simply not true."
Bush's acknowledgement of the DOJ investigation was made after the House clerk disclosed Monday that the office of the House sergeant at arms had received a grand jury subpoena from the DOJ. At the time, the subject of the probe was unclear.
Update 2/1/24, 4:30 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
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Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
