A Left-wing US congresswoman who previously triggered outrage for paying her husband for protection services is under criminal investigation over her spending on security.

Cori Bush, a member of the “Squad” of young, progressive women on Capitol Hill, is being investigated by the Justice Department, according to the political website Punchbowl News.

Federal investigators subpoenaed a top officer in the House of Representatives to access records relating to the alleged misspending of federal security money, the outlet reported.

Ms Bush, 47, a congresswoman from Missouri, has previously come under fire for paying her husband, Cortney Merritts, huge sums for security services. 

She paid him more than $100,000 (£78,000) over a two-year period, according to campaign filings in 2023.

The pair married in early 2023, but Mr Merritts was on the payroll of her re-election campaign from 2022.

Ms Bush, who has become a lightning rod for conservative activists since entering Congress in 2021, said she required protection owing to previous attempts on her life.

She added she had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to security firms in addition to her husband.

However, the revelations prompted derision from conservatives online, who laid accusations of hypocrisy against Ms Bush, a staunch proponent of the “defund the police” movement.

The payments to Ms Bush’s husband were made from campaign funds and there is no suggestion Mr Merritts is involved in the ongoing criminal probe.

Ms Bush repeatedly declined to comment when approached by Punchbowl over the reports.