Dark money seeped under a Nebraska U.S. representative’s door and smeared Congressman Jeff Fortenberry’s (R-NB) life. Back in 2016, he attended a California fundraiser that a Lebanese group in LA held for him. His take totaled $37,000. It was a good night, except for one problem.
A foreign national, a Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire, contributed $30,000 of the money, which is illegal. Fortenberry said that he was unaware of the illegality of the situation.
When California FBI agents knocked on the representative’s door in 2019, he invited them in and sat through several interviews. The problem originated with a website seeking to “illegally funnel money to U.S. political campaigns,” according to Fortenberry’s spokesperson, the local ABC affiliate KLKN reported:
‘It’s been previously reported that the FBI investigated an effort by a foreign national to illegally funnel money to U.S. political campaigns, including Rep. Fortenberry’s. The people involved in that scheme were prosecuted and no charges were filed against him. This legal expense trust was established in part to address costs associated with that investigation. Rep. Fortenberry never saw or approved the language on that website.’
In response to the investigation, Fortenberry just released a video statement as he, his wife, and their dog sat in their 1963 Ford pickup next to a cornfield. The representative said he felt “betrayed,” according to Axios.com:
‘I feel so personally betrayed. I thought we were trying to help.’
The representative’s wife Celeste defended her husband KLKN reported:
‘The agents said they needed his help. Jeff assumed he was one federal official helping other federal officials in the cause of justice. His instinct, as yours would be, was to help. So, he talked to them.’
In an email, Fortenberry wrote:
‘This has all the marks of being a political attack, a bogus charge manufactured to take him out.’
‘[Prosecutors] accused me of lying, and are charging me with this. We will fight these charges. I did not lie to them.’
The representative’s wife continued:
‘Let me say it again: this accusation is entirely false. Jeff did not lie to the FBI. This has all the marks of being a political attack, a bogus charge manufactured to take him out. In other words, many of the donations were illegal. Again, Jeff had no idea.’
‘The agents said they needed his help. Jeff assumed he was one federal official helping other federal officials in the cause of justice. His instinct, as yours would be, was to help. So, he talked to them.’
The couple plans to fight back with the help of former U.S. Representative Trey Gowdy (R-CA), his attorney:
‘I don’t know why we have been called to fight this fight. But we are fighting it, with everything we’ve got, for our family and for America.’
Tuesday morning, Fortenberry notified people via email, warning he expected to be indicted, according to Axios:
‘He’s hired attorneys with Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP, according to campaign finance disclosure forms. The firm is based in California, where Fortenberry said he is being charged.’
At this time, Fortenberry may not be alone. Now that President Joe Biden is in office, we are watching the FBI under Attorney General Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice once again free to do its job.
Three White Lions podcast, Gloria Christie reads her week’s most important news/ commentary stories in the liberal online newspaper The Bipartisan Report. Gloria Christie Report her newsletter for people on the go. Written in her own unique style with a twist of humor in a briefer version of Bipartisan Report. Christie’s Mueller Report Adventures In Bite-Sizes a real-life compelling spy mystery. Find her here on Facebook.
