Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Bachmann Playing With House Money
Rollcall ^ | June 20, 2011, Midnight | By Paul Singer

Posted on 06/20/2011 10:58:33 PM PDT by jennychase

On Nov. 5, 2009, at the behest of Rep. Michele Bachmann, thousands of tea party activists descended on the Capitol to vent their rage over the health care overhaul bill pending before Congress. The assembled activists chanted, "Kill the bill! Kill the bill!" and waved signs opposing a government takeover of health care — but they may not have known that the same government was paying for the event. According to House expense reports, Bachmann and three conservative GOP colleagues — Reps. Tom Price (Ga.), Steve King (Iowa) and Todd Akin (Mo.) — each paid $3,407.50 that day, a total of $13,630, to a sound and stage company called National Events, apparently for the sound system used at the rally. The money came from the Members' taxpayer-funded office accounts, despite House rules prohibiting the use of these funds for political activities. Bachmann's office insists the expense was a proper use of official funds. Bachmann billed the event as a "press conference," which can be funded from official accounts. But no questions were taken from the press and, unlike most press conferences, it opened with a prayer, the national anthem and a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. .............

Bachmann gave her own response, calling it the tea party response, making many of the same points as Ryan. The speech was streamed online by the Tea Party Express. The following day, Bachmann's campaign paid Oval Office Writers — an Arlington, Va., firm — a $5,000 fee for "speechwriting." Bachmann has occasionally spent money out of her office account for things closely tied to her political activities. But as with the rally, it is not clear whether she has violated any rules. For instance, in June 2010, Bachmann added to her Congressional payroll a "senior advisor" named Guy Short, whose last Congressional job had been chief of staff to ex-Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.), who lost her re-election bid in 2008. According to Congressional pay records, Bachmann paid Short $5,000 for the month. On June 3, 2010, Short established C&M Strategies in Colorado. Records on file with the Colorado secretary of state list Short as the "registered agent" of the firm; the incorporator was Colorado certified public accountant Barry Arrington. In July, Short dropped off Bachmann's payroll, but Bachmann's campaign began paying C&M Strategies for fundraising consulting services. That month, Arrington filed papers with the Federal Election Commission creating Bachmann's leadership PAC, called Many Individual Conservatives Helping Elect Leaders Everywhere, which by September was also paying C&M Strategies for fundraising consulting services. Since then, MICHELEPAC and the campaign committee have paid C&M Strategies about $150,000 for fundraising consulting, and Short has never again appeared on Bachmann's Congressional payroll. Asked about Short's duties in the Congressional office, Bachmann spokesman Doug Sachtleben said in an email, "With six years of hill experience as a Chief of Staff, Guy Short worked with every member of the Congresswoman's staff to ensure that they worked as effectively as possible to serve the constituents of Minnesota's sixth district." Several other Bachmann staffers, including Communications Director David Dziok, former Chief of Staff Ron Carey, former "constituent service officer" Jack Tomczak and former Chief of Staff Andy Parrish all received regular checks from her campaign while serving on her Congressional payroll as well — which is permissible as long as the employees make a clear separation between the time they spend working on the campaign and the hours they are working for the Congressional office. Bachmann also appears to have used her Congressional office account to cover travel costs for television appearances — again, an unusual expense but not one barred by House rules.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: akin; bachmann; bachmann4romney; cmstrategies; elections2012; fraud; guyshort; king; michelepac; obama; ovalofficewriters; palin; price; romney; teapartyexpress
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141-142 next last
To: jennychase
The LEFT knows Obumbler is in BIG trouble in terms of getting re-elected.

They'll be throwing knives at every contender with reckless abandon.

21 posted on 06/21/2011 12:44:24 AM PDT by VideoDoctor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MCF; All

Let’s peruse Nancy Pelosi’s and Harry Reid’s e-mails while we’re at it.


22 posted on 06/21/2011 2:18:50 AM PDT by no dems (When I learn that a person, regardless of who they are, is a Democrat, I lose respect for them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: jessduntno
Confirmation of my yesterday post

Mrs. Bachmann is a media creation. If by some cruel twist of fate she should end up on the Republican ticket, she will be destroyed. She used to whine when it was just Matthews and Press giving her a hard time. She got her little girl panties in a wad when Governor Palin answered a question honestly and sent Rollins out to trash her. (Yes I said it. Rollins is the XO of that organization and no XO opens their trap like he did without the permission of the CO.)

From her very thin legislative accomplishment to the embellishment of the foster children (Yes she told Blitzer the "raised" the children) to her buffoonish statements on the campaign trail as well as the House floor.

By the time the MSM is finished with her she will be done politically. Hope she enjoys the ride.

23 posted on 06/21/2011 3:42:46 AM PDT by gov_bean_ counter (JMO but I reserve the right to be wrong...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: excopconservative

“She is in bed with the establishment Republicans. If they wanted a crowd at a rally, they couldn’t get 100 people. So call Michele and she’ll get the TEA Party people. That’s why she leads the TEA Party caucus, so the Republican Party can use her to get the TEA Party to be their popular support. Why else did all the RINOs speak at that event? Why did House money pay for it?

She probably asserted herself into TEA Party events at their direction which means she’s been a phoney all along. Now she wants to split the conservative vote and let Romney take the nomination. Had me fooled for a while but no longer.”

Sorry, this “Michele is a stalking horse for Romney” meme I’ve been seeing around here is laughable. That dog simply wont hunt. People who’ve been paying attention the past few years know that Michele is one of (if not the most) conservative voice in Congress.

That rally in November 2009 was a prime example. With most of the GOP was hiding in the shadows afraid to be labeled “racist”, she and a few other brave congressman were front and center trying to kill Obamacare before it passed.

She is not, and never has been a big favorite of establishment Republicans. In fact, you may recall (but you probably don’t cause you’d rather not) that when Michele was in a tough re-election race in 2008, there was quite a controversy about the fact that the NRCC was funding other RINO campaigns and didn’t give her any donations.

She’s not my first choice, I prefer Palin or Perry over her, but Michele is anything but a RINO, her conservative bona fides are as strong or stronger than anyone else in the field. If the other 2 choose not to run, I would have no problem at all supporting MB.


24 posted on 06/21/2011 3:58:00 AM PDT by lquist1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: jennychase

So we have another Willard attack, yawn////?????


25 posted on 06/21/2011 4:05:10 AM PDT by org.whodat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jennychase

She isn’t Palin so we get fed whatever BS from lib journos and you are ready to railroad her outta here.

How pathetic.


26 posted on 06/21/2011 4:05:31 AM PDT by dforest
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: lquist1
Her (in)action speaks loud.

Exposed is that Ms Bachmann is now "wed" to Rollins,
and created her own coverup of what he did,
and her constant pandering to Romney and the RINO agendae.



27 posted on 06/21/2011 4:14:40 AM PDT by Diogenesis (Nothing surpasses the complexity of the human mind. - Leto II: Dar-es-Balat)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Diogenesis
A speech posted here yesterday was nothing more than a shallow, shameless, pandering to hyphenated America.
28 posted on 06/21/2011 4:45:27 AM PDT by gov_bean_ counter (JMO but I reserve the right to be wrong...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Diogenesis

29 posted on 06/21/2011 4:57:26 AM PDT by pburgh01
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: org.whodat; Jim Robinson; All; onyx; Al B.; Virginia Ridgerunner

You have yet to extend the owner of this site the courtesy of a reply to his comment below:

To: org.whodat
Arithmetic is not your best suit. Neither is conservatism.

13 posted on 06/08/2011 2:15:17 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Rebellion is brewing!! Impeach the corrupt Marxist bastard!!)


30 posted on 06/21/2011 5:02:48 AM PDT by sarah fan UK
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: indylindy

Typical. If Reagan was alive today Palin supporters would be trashing him too.


31 posted on 06/21/2011 5:09:42 AM PDT by ejdrapes (Jump in Sarah, the water is warm...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: ejdrapes

Well if he hired Ed Rollins I might.


32 posted on 06/21/2011 5:17:08 AM PDT by McGruff (Why do they fear her so?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: jennychase

oh my.


33 posted on 06/21/2011 5:35:14 AM PDT by unseen1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ejdrapes

And if this article was about Sarah Palin, you’d be all over it, hypocrite.


34 posted on 06/21/2011 5:44:00 AM PDT by dirtboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Bon mots

Got Michelle an overpaid no-show job with taxpayer funds in Chicago.

Nobody even writes about it.

If she gets the GOP nomination the dems/msm will pounce on it big time. Until them they will keep in the magazines of their political gun until it’s time to shoot.


35 posted on 06/21/2011 5:47:24 AM PDT by chainsaw (I'd hate to be a democrat running against Sarah Palin.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: tallyhoe

Bachmann just opened herself up to charges of being a hypocrite. we need a clean candidate one that didn’t use taxpayer money to fund her campaign.


36 posted on 06/21/2011 5:48:24 AM PDT by unseen1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: jennychase
Key phrases:

"But as with the rally, it is not clear whether she has violated any rules."

again, an unusual expense but not one barred by House rules.

Palin supporter I assume?
37 posted on 06/21/2011 5:51:05 AM PDT by magritte ("There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself "Do trousers matter?")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MestaMachine

But this says SIX thousand. I am baffled.

It also says (D-VA).


38 posted on 06/21/2011 5:53:48 AM PDT by chainsaw (I'd hate to be a democrat running against Sarah Palin.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: ejdrapes
No. Backstabbing is the sole province of Romney and Bachmann.

Bachmann and Mitt Romney are the BENEDICT ARNOLDS of 2011.

Check out where FReepers have uncovered something very big.

Fake-badge Mitt Romney and Bill Hudak
are now linked to the creation
of fake Tea Partys, including the very one
which attacked Gov. Palin from Texas
(see post 11)


39 posted on 06/21/2011 5:53:59 AM PDT by Diogenesis (Nothing surpasses the complexity of the human mind. - Leto II: Dar-es-Balat)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: jennychase

Rented a stage and speaker system? Put ‘em in leg irons! /s


40 posted on 06/21/2011 5:59:52 AM PDT by newzjunkey (49% of CA registered voters would reelect Obama? I need out of this state.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141-142 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson