WASHINGTON – In a significant development, the Justice Department has decided to return the personal cellphone of U.S. Representative Andy Ogles, which was previously seized amid an investigation into his campaign finances. This decision appears to mark the end of the inquiry into the Tennessee Republican and avid Trump supporter, which had commenced under the Biden administration.
Back in August 2024, the FBI had taken possession of Ogles’ cellphone, aiming to scrutinize issues related to his campaign finance disclosures. However, an agreement was reached to refrain from examining the content of the phone and his personal email account while Ogles contested the seizure in court.
Before a judge could render a decision on Ogles’ legal challenge, defense attorneys revealed in a recent court filing that the Justice Department had voluntarily agreed to swiftly return the cellphone. Furthermore, they committed to deleting any data obtained from the phone and Ogles’ Google email account.
The investigation, initiated during President Joe Biden’s tenure, continued into the Trump administration but had come to a standstill awaiting the judge’s decision on the access to Ogles’ electronic communications. Despite the withdrawal of local Tennessee prosecutors from the case, the Justice Department’s criminal division, formerly under acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti, had advocated for progressing with the investigation, as noted in a July email urging Tennessee prosecutors to revisit their stance.
This decision by the Justice Department arrives amidst considerable scrutiny over its actions against Trump’s perceived political adversaries, including figures like former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
On Wednesday, the Justice Department did not immediately address inquiries regarding the closure of the Ogles investigation. According to Ogles’ legal team, they were informed of the department’s decision during discussions with its criminal division, now headed by Assistant Attorney General Tysen Duva.
Ogles called it a “complete win for the responsible exercise of prosecutorial discretion and respect for the Constitution’s Separation of Powers.” Ogles is still facing a House Ethics Committee investigation.
“From the day the FBI showed up, I said this investigation should never have happened and that the Biden DOJ had no right to rummage through a sitting congressman’s legislative communications,” Ogles said in a statement. “Today the Justice Department has effectively acknowledged I was right.”
At the time his phone was seized, Ogles said his understanding was that the FBI was investigating “mistakes” in his initial financial filings that had been “widely reported for months.”
Ogles reported making a $320,000 loan to his campaign committee in 2022. He later amended his filings to show that he only loaned his campaign $20,000, telling news outlets that he originally meant to “pledge” $320,000 but that pledge was mistakenly included in his campaign reports.
