Bachmann campaign allegations sent to House Ethics panel

[muriel_volestrangler]

WASHINGTON – A congressional inquiry of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann has been referred to the House Ethics Committee, significantly raising the stakes in the Minnesota Republican’s efforts to fend off questions about her 2012 presidential campaign’s financial dealings.

A report issued Tuesday by the independent Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) shows that its bipartisan board sent all seven cases before it last month to the House Ethics Committee, meaning they found “substantial reason” to believe they all involve potential ethics violations.

Among the cases known to be pending before the board was a probe of potential campaign finance violations by Bachmann as well as allegations that she took members of her campaign staff on a book tour to promote her personal political memoir, “Core of Conviction.”

Under rules set forth for the ethics board, there was no public disclosure Tuesday of the individual cases transmitted for further review by the House ethics committee. Instead, the report included a general summary of the board’s actions showing that it did not dismiss or terminate any cases in the past three months, the same period that Bachmann has been under investigation.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/215766751.html

Also:

Bachmann's DC office was under hidden police camera surveillance


Javier Sanchez, the legislative aide to U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann facing theft charges, was allegedly caught by a covert police camera set up in the Minnesota Republican’s Capitol Hill office over the last three months.

According to a court affidavit, U.S. Capitol Police responding to earlier theft reports installed a hidden camera in Bachmann’s congressional office on April 4. They also left bait money in two envelopes, one containing $80, marked “petty cash,” and another with $120 marked “Birthday Money.”

The money was discovered missing on June 25, and a subsequent check of the surveillance footage determined that the cash from at least one of the envelopes was taken two weeks earlier.

Sanchez, 37, was arrested on Thursday after a “non-custodial interview” with police where he denied any wrongdoing. His D.C. attorney, David Benowitz, said Tuesday that Sanchez “fully denies the allegations.” He pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Friday, and has been released pending a status hearing next month, according to D.C. Superior Court records.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/215699411.html

[AlinPA]

1. "House Ethics panel"? Ethics in the republican-controlled US House? Now that's really a joke.

[madinmaryland]

2. The only thing a repub house ethics panel investigates is Bill Clinton's dick.