The Federal Election Commission sent a new batch of warnings to Tennessee U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles that it could audit his campaign finance account or take enforcement action for a spate of alleged violations, including excessive contributions from the House Freedom Caucus’s political action committee and possibly illegal corporate donations.
The agency notified Ogles’ treasurer, Thomas Datwyler, this summer that a detailed summary page of the congressman’s amended April and July quarterly reports appears to be incorrect and violates federal campaign finance regulations.
The contributions and expenses on Ogles’ April report, which covers Jan. 1-March 31, fail to match previous reports. The letter regarding Ogles’ July report notes the first-term congressman said he received $14,021 from the House Freedom Fund, which is nearly triple the contribution limit of $5,000 allowed per election. He also received a potentially illegal contribution of $2,259.24 from Synapse Financial Technology, a startup banking company based in San Fransico. Corporations aren’t allowed to make direct donations to federal candidates.
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The letters also note that Ogles’ report includes outdated information on $320,000 last year he personally loaned his campaign. The reports show the loan was due as of Dec. 31, 2022, but no payment has been made on it.