Censuring Representative Andy Ogles.

Bill: 118-hres-626
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30]
Introduced: 2023-07-27
Policy area: Congress
Latest action: action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ethics.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-07-27
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution censures Representative Andy Ogles.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 626 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 27, 2023 Ms. Crockett submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ethics RESOLUTION Censuring Representative Andy Ogles.

Whereas Representative Andy Ogles has repeatedly misrepresented his educational and occupational experiences prior to becoming and during his service as a Member of the United States House of Representatives; Whereas, on July 23, 2022, Representative Andy Ogles said that elected officials want power and control so badly that they are willing to say and do anything to get there ; Whereas Members of the Republican Party have called the level of deception that Representative Andy Ogles is willing to participate in in order to get elected to the United States Congress disturbing as was reported on February 27, 2023, by News Channel 5 in Nashville; Whereas, on February 21, 2023, upon being confronted about his lies and misrepresentations, Representative Andy Ogles said, at the end of the day, I don’t care ; Whereas Representative Andy Ogles repeatedly misrepresented his law enforcement background including his false claim that he was a police officer; Whereas Representative Andy Ogles has repeatedly claimed that he was an economist or misrepresented having a background in economics, including on his official congressional website, despite not having a degree in the field of economics, or any other related degree, including— (1) on July 29, 2018, in connection with his seeking election for County Mayor, Representative Andy Ogles claimed that he was an economist and tax policy expert; (2) on June 25, 2022, Representative Andy Ogles falsely referred to himself as an economist during a congressional debate; (3) on January 11, 2023, Representative Andy Ogles again misrepresented his background as an economist on C-SPAN, not once but twice in the same broadcast; (4) on January 13, 2023, Representative Andy Ogles once again misrepresented his background as an economist during an interview on a right-wing program; (5) on February 7, 2023, Representative Andy Ogles continued to misrepresent his background as an economist during a House Financial Services Committee hearing; and (6) on February 21, 2023, upon being confronted about his lies regarding his background as an economist , Representative Andy Ogles claimed that he meant he studied political science and international affairs from an economic perspective; Whereas, on February 27, 2023, News Channel 5 in Nashville released a copy of Representative Andy Ogles’ college transcript which showed he took only one class in economics and received a C; Whereas, on July 29, 2018, in connection with his seeking election for County Mayor, Representative Andy Ogles claimed that he graduated from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, when he in truth received certificates for participating in non-degree executive classes; Whereas, on February 16, 2023, News Channel 5 in Nashville released a copy of Representative Ogles’ resume that showed he falsely claimed to have a degree in International Relations, a claim he repeated a number of times in the media; Whereas, on February 16, 2023, News Channel 5 in Nashville also released a copy of Representative Ogles’ background check questionnaire from 2009 that he submitted to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office that again showed he falsely claimed to have a degree in International Relations; Whereas, because of his repeated false statements regarding his educational background, Representative Ogles issued a correction on February 26, 2023; Whereas, on March 10, 2023, the Washington Post reported that Representative Andy Ogles claimed to have run a consulting firm from 2003–2010 despite there being no corporate records for such a business in the State of Tennessee; Whereas, on March 10, 2023, the Washington Post reporting also showed Representative Andy Ogles claimed he was on the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Franklin which was subsequently debunked by the YMCA of Middle Tennessee as well as the organization’s IRS filings; Whereas, on March 10, 2023, the Washington Post reporting further uncovered that while Representative Andy Ogles claimed he served on the Board of Directors for the City of Franklin, the Board of Directors for the City of Franklin does not in fact exist; Whereas, on March 10, 2023, the Washington Post reporting also showed that while Representative Andy Ogles claimed to have facilitated several multi-million dollar business deals, those claims could neither be verified by the company involved nor by public records; Whereas Representative Andy Ogles repeatedly exaggerated his law enforcement experience, including in a video posted on August 1, 2022, where he specifically said he was a police officer ; Whereas Representative Andy Ogles was not a police officer but a volunteer reserve deputy with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office starting in July 2009 and ending in October 2011 when he was terminated for failing to meet requirements for that position, which included 48 hours of volunteering per quarter; Whereas Representative Andy Ogles repeatedly claimed that he worked in human trafficking law enforcement, including calling himself a former member of law enforcement, worked in international sex crimes, specifically child trafficking as reported on February 16, 2023, by News Channel 5 in Nashville; Whereas, on February 16, 2023, News Channel 5 in Nashville further reported that despite Representative Andy Ogles’ claims, a spokesperson from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said There is nothing in Mr. Ogles training or personnel file that indicates he had any involvement in international sex trafficking in his capacity as a reserve deputy ; Whereas the only connection Representative Andy Ogles has to human trafficking law enforcement was through his work with Abolition International, which at the time he worked there primarily made grants to a handful of safe houses as reported by Business Insider on February 21, 2023; Whereas Representative Andy Ogles claimed his work with Abolition International in 2011 included overseeing operations and investments in 12 countries, on February 16, 2023, News Channel 5 in Nashville reported that he only held a part-time position and that other employees of the organization called his claims, widely exaggerated ; Whereas Representative Andy Ogles said that he had first-hand experience working in this space on the Southern border, on February 21, 2023, Business Insider reported that a former Abolition International manager said his role was minimal and the group’s work had nothing to do with the US-Mexico border; and Whereas, in 2014, Representative Andy Ogles solicited donations to raise money for the burials of unborn babies in a garden, and while he raised $25,000, according to reporting from News Channel 5 in Nashville on March 15, the burial garden was never built and related funds have not been accounted for: Now, therefore, be it

That— (1) Representative Andy Ogles be censured; (2) Representative Andy Ogles forthwith present himself in the well of the House of Representatives for the pronouncement of censure; and (3) Representative Andy Ogles be censured with the public reading of this resolution by the Speaker.