Ogles says the investigation should never have happened after DOJ agrees to return his phone
Andy OglesU.S. representative for Tennessee's 5th District, in a statement on the Justice Department's decision
In a statement after the Justice Department agreed to return his seized phone, Ogles says the investigation should never have happened and that the department under President Biden had no right to search a sitting congressman's legislative communications.
“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”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
American Oversight seeks an inspector general review of DOJ's dropped Ogles probe; Ogles says it should never have happened
American Oversight asked the Justice Department's inspector general on October 22, 2026 to review why the department ended its criminal campaign finance investigation of Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee. Records the group obtained through a public records lawsuit show Ogles's lawyer asked Ed Martin, then director of the department's Weaponization Working Group, in November 2025 to end the investigation. Ogles has said the investigation should never have happened.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
The Associated Press reports that the Justice Department agreed to return Ogles's seized phone and destroy information obtained from it and his email account, and quotes Ogles's statement on the decision. This copy of the AP story ran on NewsChannel 9 in Chattanooga.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Associated Press reports that Ogles's lawyers told a court the Justice Department had agreed to promptly return his phone and destroy the information it obtained from the phone and his Google email account.
After the quotation
In the same statement, Ogles says the Justice Department has effectively acknowledged he was right. The AP reports that he was still facing a House Ethics Committee investigation.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case concerns the Justice Department's decision to end its campaign finance investigation of Ogles. Ogles says the investigation should never have happened and that the department has effectively acknowledged he was right, which defends the decision to end it.
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More from this case
Read the full caseChioma Chukwu says political loyalty cannot decide who gets a pass and asks the inspector general to examine the end of the Ogles investigation
“Political loyalty cannot determine who faces scrutiny and who gets a pass. The inspector general must find out whether anyone intervened on Ogles' behalf and why DOJ shut this investigation down.”Read statement
Ogles's lawyer asks Ed Martin to end DOJ's criminal investigation of Ogles
“Please see the attached letter on behalf of our client, Rep. Andy Ogles, seeking the termination of the Department's criminal investigation into campaign finance issues that are more appropriately addressed by the FEC and the House Ethics Committee.”Read statement
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- Ogles says the investigation should never have happened after DOJ agrees to return his phone
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The Dispute Index. "Ogles says the investigation should never have happened after DOJ agrees to return his phone". First published: 2026-10-28. Last updated: 2026-10-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/7037-in-a-statement-after-the-justice-department-agreed