The Daily Beast's John Avlon reports in Exclusive: Congressional Ethics Probe Adds to Michele Bachmann’s Political Woes:
Eighteen months ago, the Minnesota House member was considered an unlikely but undeniable Republican rising star, winning the Iowa straw poll that unofficially begins the primary season. Today, she is embroiled in a litany of legal proceedings related to her rolling disaster of a presidential campaign—including a Office of Congressional Ethics investigation into campaign improprieties that has not previously been reported.
The Daily Beast has learned that federal investigators are now interviewing former Bachmann campaign staffers nationwide about alleged intentional campaign-finance violations. The investigators are working on behalf of the Office of Congressional Ethics, which probes reported improprieties by House members and their staffs and then can refer cases to the House Ethics Committee.
“I have been interviewed by investigators,” says Peter Waldron, a former Bachmann staffer who’s embroiled in his own fight with his former boss, involving his allegations of pay-to-play politics and improper payments by the campaign—making him one of several members of Bachmann’s inner circle who’ve fallen out with the woman they once hoped would become commander in chief. While he was careful to avoid specifics in regard to the investigating body, Waldron said that “investigators came [and] interviewed me and are interviewing other staff members across the country.”
Two other former staffers confirmed the existence of the investigation this weekend, and on Monday Bachmann’s campaign counsel, William McGinley, of the high-powered firm Patton Boggs, confirmed that the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) was looking into the congresswoman’s presidential campaign last year.
“There are no allegations that the Congresswoman engaged in any wrongdoing,” McGinley said. “We are constructively engaged with the OCE and are confident that at the end of their Review the OCE Board will conclude that Congresswoman Bachmann did not do anything inappropriate.” . . .
Read the lengthy article at the Daily Beast for the whole story, which comes on the heels of a very bad week for the Gentlewoman from Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. As we noted over the weekend in St. Cloud Times: the two faces of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann:
Unlike our reluctant spring, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has roared back on to the national spotlight as speeches to CPAC and her congressional colleagues were fact checked; the findings were not pretty.How's that playing in her district? Many of the residents rely on the Star Tribune; online, they're seeing headlines like Bachmann CPAC claims leave trail of questions and Rep. Michele Bachmann is back in the headlines.
Those fleeing the Twin Cities daily for Fox News can learn O'Reilly slams 'trivial' Bachmann, as the conservative WND put it.
The St. Cloud Times editorial board writes that Bachmann leaves you wondering:
Political junkies, partisans and the media are abuzz as to whether a closer-than-expected 2012 re-election victory changed the divisive tone and lightning-rod tactics of U.S. Sixth District Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Two events — a national speech Saturday and a St. Paul lobbying appearance Monday — not only reflect how there is no clear answer to that question, but highlight why district voters will remain frustrated if all they want is a hardworking, level-headed House member.
The Saturday speech was vintage Bachmann — heavy on political red meat and light on accuracy. Monday’s lobbying effort for expanding Interstate 94 from Rogers to St. Cloud was about bipartisan service to the western end of the district — a rare focus for her since elected.
CPAC speech
Up until Saturday, there was a growing body of evidence — best symbolized by her post-election low profile in national media — that Bachmann might be taking to heart a message district voters delivered Election Day: Her style isn’t what they want in Washington.
Yes, the Tea Party champion won a fourth term. But it came by only about 4,200 votes in a long-held GOP district redrawn since 2010 to be even more conservative. Plus, she needed a record amount of money and outspent first-time candidate Jim Graves by $9.3 million. Yet she barely won. . . .
Read the rest at the Times. They're hoping that they'll see more of the bread-and-butter Bachmann, but her behavior in the House suggests that's wishful thinking.
Instead, Sixth CD residents will be getting the Michele bloggers love. Check Christian Science Monitor's Peter Grier in Obamacare 'kills': Has Michele Bachmann finally gone too far? for more.
Photo: Rep. Michele Bachmann at CPAC. Jonathan Ernst at Reuters via CSMonitor.
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