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Rep. George Santos has earned a reputation as a prolific liar, but when taking stock of the New York Republican’s many scandals, his mendacity is not his only problem. We learned last month, for example, that the FBI is investigating a controversy in which Santos raised money for a disabled Navy veteran’s dying service dog — and then allegedly kept the money.
This came to mind yesterday as the parallels between Santos and Rep. Andy Ogles became even more striking. Like Santos, the Tennessee Republican has struggled with questions about his wildly inflated résumé. And like Santos, Ogles is also now confronting allegations about a crowdfunding campaign. WTVF, the CBS affiliate in Nashville, reported:
What did Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles do with tens of thousands of dollars meant for a children’s burial garden? Now, NewsChannel 5 Investigates has uncovered more questions that the freshman Republican won’t answer.
According to the local report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, Ogles launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2014, using a photo of his stillborn baby to raise money for a project he referred to at the time as “Lincoln’s Place.” The appeal told prospective donors that the money would go towards a “burial garden” for other families with stillborn babies, “a life-size statue of Jesus,” and “benches for families to sit while surrounded by flowers.”
It was effective: Ogles raised nearly $25,000, and GoFundMe confirmed that the Tennessean received the money.
As things currently stand, however, there doesn’t appear to be any burial garden, Jesus statue, or benches, which leads to some difficult questions about what the congressman did with the money he raised nine years ago.
There were some questions about this in 2015 — the year after the fundraising effort — when Ogles was asked about the money he raised. He said at the time that he still had the money, but he hadn’t followed through on his plans because of burdensome government regulations.
Eight years later, WTVF’s report added, “In fact, there is no evidence that any government regulation would have prevented the purchase of several cemetery plots for burying children.”
In a situation like this, it’s best to exercise some caution, mindful that there are often benign explanations. Maybe Ogles returned the money to donors? Perhaps he created the burial garden at a different cemetery?
When WTVF asked the GOP freshman what happened to the money, he refused to answer questions. When a reporter with the channel told Ogles, “Congressman, this doesn’t have to be a story if you just offer some evidence it went for a good cause,” he got into a truck and slammed the door.
Hours after the local report ran, Ogles issued a written statement to a different local outlet, presenting himself as a victim and claiming to have used the money he raised to support other families.
There may yet be evidence in support of those claims, though he has not yet presented any of it. Given his record of dishonesty surrounding his professional and academic background, it’s not as if he has a reservoir of credibility to draw upon.