ST. LOUIS—One day after U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., acknowledged that her campaign was under federal investigation related to spending on security, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, a key Bush ally, defended the expenses and praised her as “an effective and a great partner,” while declining to guarantee any endorsement in Bush’s race for re-election in a competitive primary.

Bush held a public campaign launch Saturday in Northwoods. Filing for the August 6 primaries starts Feb. 27 and closes March 26.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell has declared his candidacy for the Democratic primary after switching from the U.S. Senate race.

Jones told reporters Wednesday that she would have individual conversations with everyone who files to run for the seat after filing closes, but when asked if she’d issue an endorsement, Jones left wiggle room.

“We’ll see what happens. We’ll see how those conversations go,” she said. 

Federal prosecutors have been asking questions about Bush’s security expenses, the threats she received and her decision to pay her now-husband Cortney Merritts with campaign funds to provide security, a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press. The questions have been similar to those asked by congressional investigators conducting an ethics inquiry, the person said. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The issue of how Bush has been funding her security is currently under investigation by the Federal Election Commission and the House Committee on Ethics. The FEC has stated that it is not technically against the rules for a member of Congress to use campaign funds for private security as there has been a striking increase of violent threats against lawmakers in recent years. The Office of Congressional Ethics unanimously determined in October to clear Bush of any wrongdoing in its investigation.

“I look forward to this same outcome from all pending investigations,” Bush said Tuesday.

Jones defended Merritts’ qualifications and Bush’s security needs.

“What’s been left out of this conversation is the experience of her husband. He was a security supervisor at Ameren for several years and he’s former military and unless anybody knows what it’s like to be an African-American woman in a powerful position and a single mom and have your life threatened on a daily basis, I support her providing security that she needs for herself and her family.”

Several members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, including President Megan Green, attended Bush's campaign launch Saturday and have endorsed her candidacy. In a statement Tuesday, Green praised Bush for cooperating with the investigation and also sympathized with the need for security.

"As an outspoken woman in an elected leadership position, I too have had concerns about my personal safety. The fact that Congresswoman Bushis being scrutinized for spending campaign funds to hire security detail says more about our nation's political climate than it does about her campaign's spending priorities. I stand by Congresswoman Bush and my support for her."