With a special investigator soon to be appointed by the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, the ethics cloud hovering over Rep. Michele Bachmann could quickly become a major problem for the Tea Party hero, experts tell Salon.“This is very serious,” said Craig Holman, a government ethics lobbyist at liberal-leaning watchdog group Public Citizen. “It’s not Watergate, or at least not yet, but these are a series of allegations that are each serious on their own, and when you put them all together, this could be a career ender for Michele Bachmann.”Ken Boehm, chairman of the conservative-leaning National Legal and Policy Center, told Salon that we should wait to see what investigators find — indeed, no wrongdoing has been reported so far — though he acknowledged the escalating scrutiny could be a major headache for the congresswoman down the lineContinue Reading… … Read More
Iowa panel OKs probe of alleged payments by Bachmann campaign
The Iowa Senate Ethics Committee approved moving forward with a probe into alleged criminal and ethics violations by Michele Bachmann’s 2012 presidential campaign. Iowa’s Supreme Court chief justice will now appoint a special investigator who will look at alleged payments made by the campaign to state Sen. Ken Sorenson for work on the campaign.From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:An affidavit reviewed by the committee on Wednesday showed that former Bachmann chief of staff Andy Parrish said Bachmann approved plans to indirectly pay Sorenson $7,500 a month to work on her campaign. The alleged payments could violate an Iowa Senate ethics rule that prohibits members from accepting payments for work on political campaigns. Parrish’s affidavit included copies of e-mails between him and other staff members discussing plans to use a company run by Bachmann’s then-national political director, Guy Short, to funnel payments to Sorenson. Sorenson has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He filed an affidavit from an attorney who claimed to have reviewed his bank account and found no payments from the Bachmann campaign, her political action committee or Short’s company, C&M Strategies.Continue Reading… … Read More
Michele Bachmann to Dems: ‘Thou protestest too much’ on Head Start budget cuts
Re. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) took to the House floor today in support of the legislation to eliminate furloughs of air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration — which has led to flight delays — that were imposed as part of a long-ago deal with the White House to…
Bachmann aides shove reporters in flight from ethics questions
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) was rushed out of a press conference on Tuesday afternoon after reporters began asking about an ethics investigation into her failed presidential campaign, leading to aides shoving reporters out of the way as they fled. Photos of the reaction were published by the…
Bachmann aides block reporters at press conference
After a press conference alongside Minnesota State Senator Sean Nienow, Rep. Michele Bachmann was shielded by staffers to help her once again avoid questions by reporters.The press conference with Nienow, R, was “to discuss problems with Medicaid reimbursement rates paid to doctors in Minnesota. Both are introducing legislation increasing accountability and transparency,” according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.But when reporters tried to ask about a Congressional Ethics probe into alleged campaign finance violations by Bachmann’s 2012 presidential campaign, Bachmann, R-Minn., darted away, assisted by aide Deb Steiskal, who blocked reporters. You can see pictures taken by the Star Tribune here.Bachmann has recently made similar moves to avoid questioning by CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash, who tried to ask about seemingly erroneous statements in Bachmann’s CPAC speech.Continue Reading… … Read More
Family Research Council’s Boykin: Bachmann and Gohmert on mission from God to hunt Muslims
The Family Research Council’s President Jerry Boykin said this week that U.S. Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Louis Gohmert (R-TX) are “standing on the word of God” in their mission to find and punish Muslims and Muslim supporters in the U.S. government. According to Right Wing…
Glenn Beck: Bachmann’s ethics probe is a plot by “radical Islam”
Glenn Beck has a theory about why Michele Bachmann is under investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics, and it’s not because her 2012 presidential campaign allegedly committed campaign finance violations: It’s because the U.S. has been “infiltrated” by “radical Islam,” and Bachmann got on the wrong side of it.”You see what they’re doing to Michele Bachmann?” Beck asked. “Michele Bachmann is under all kinds of ethics investigations now. Why do you suppose that is? She’s evil? She is uber-clear on what’s going on. Uber clear.”He continued that the State Department is “pushing” Somalis into Minnesota, and Bachmann tried to find out why. “She hasn’t gotten any answers, and now she’s under investigation,” Beck said.Watch, via Right Wing Watch:Continue Reading… … Read More
