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Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tennessee) was charged on Thursday of misrepresenting himself as an economist, police officer, and international sex crimes specialist throughout his 2022 campaign and as a member of Congress.
In a situation reminiscent of the deception scandals involving Rep. George Santos (R-NY), Nashville news outlet WTVF reported on Thursday that Ogles, a freshman member of the House, exaggerated much of his work history related to combating human trafficking and appears to have never studied or worked as an economist.
In multiple interviews and at his first meeting as a member of the House Financial Services Committee, Ogles has boasted of his “expertise as an economist.” According to his congressional biography, he studied economics and policy at Middle Tennessee State University.
However, WTVF discovered that Ogles has never worked as an economist, and that his 2009 CV and background check indicate that he majored in international relations and minored in psychology and English at MTSU.
His role at the Laffer Center, a think tank in Tennessee, was reportedly administrative, and he did not author a single study on public policy or economics.
According to the news source, his repeated claims of being a “former member of law enforcement” with “firsthand experience” working on human trafficking also appear to be embellishments.
Ogles was sworn in as a volunteer reserve deputy for the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office in July 2009, but lost his position after two years for failing to fulfill basic criteria, missing meetings, and not making sufficient progress in field training.
A representative for the sheriff’s office informed WTVF, “there is no indication in Mr. Ogles’ training or personnel file that he was involved in ‘international sex trafficking’ as a reserve deputy.”
Ogles also claimed to have been “heavily involved in the fight against human trafficking” during his tenure at the charity organization Abolition International, however this appears to be an exaggeration.
Ogles after being announced the victor of the party primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District in Franklin, Tennessee.
A former Abolition International manager acquainted with his work told Business Insider that the Tennessee Republican’s function at the organization was to assist with marketing and fundraising and that he never visited to visit safehouses the organization created overseas.
Former manager: “It is such a stretch for him to represent himself as an expert or someone who worked in the field, and for that to have informed his policy views.”
In January, Ogles gained to fame when he joined 19 other Republicans in preventing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s election to the top leadership post in the House, demanding rule changes and concessions from the California Republican.
In a statement to The Post, Ogles’s office referred to WTVF’s allegation as “an attempt by the liberal media to make something out of nothing.”
The statement continued, “It’s a simple case of condensing a resume for the sake of brevity on the campaign trail, and partisan hacks are trying to turn it into a clickbait headline.”
“Congressman Ogles is proud of the time he spent with renowned economist Dr. Arthur Laffer and Americans for Prosperity establishing his expertise in economic and tax policies. “He was honored to serve as a reserve deputy for the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department and as the Chief Operating Officer for Abolition International, which provided resources and operational support for anti-human trafficking efforts around the world,” the statement continued.
»Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee is accused of inflating his resume«