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U.S. Representative Jeff Fortenberry on Monday announced his decision to run for re-election amid an investigation of an alleged illegal contribution to his campaign.
In a YouTube video filmed inside a 1963 Ford pickup with his wife and dog, Fortenberry, a Nebraska Republican, announced his decision. It's the same backdrop he used several months ago to address the federal investigation.
"It's been an extraordinary privilege for me and our family to serve you in one of the highest bodies of the land, and, in spite of the difficulties of this year, we've been able to achieve some major accomplishments," Fortenberry said in the video.
"You see, I believe that, as Americans, we seek what is good and what is whole and what is great," Fortenberry said. "We don't have to give in to the most divisive voices.
He talked about a law to support research into Lou Gehrig's disease, an incurable neurodegenerative disorder, as well as promote early treatments. He also mentioned $11.2 million in federal funding for a new agricultural research center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, along with construction upgrades for Offutt Air Force Base.
"What we can do is safely and securely protect our borders, rebuild our country with things made in America, and reject the voices that want to sort us out into tribes," Fortenberry said.
"That's a vision for consensus and goodness. That's what I'll fight for. And I ask you to stand with me."
Fortenberry lied to and hid information from FBI agents regarding an illegal $30,000 donation to his campaign from a Nigerian billionaire, prosecutors said. The donation was made in 2016 at a Los Angeles fundraiser by Gilbert Chagoury, Newsweek reported. Chagoury's donations to other politicians, such as former Representatives Lee Terry and Darrell Isa, were also being investigated, the Associated Press reported.
In another YouTube video filmed with his wife and dog in the same pickup, Fortenberry said the allegations made him "shocked" and "stunned."
"We will fight these charges," Fortenberry said. "I did not lie to them. I told them what I knew. But we need your help."
Fortenberry has pleaded not guilty to one count of scheming to falsify and conceal material facts and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators.
Nebraska state Senator Patty Pansing Brooks, a Democrat, is also running for the seat.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
