Politics & Government
Star Tribune: Former Michele Bachmann Aide to Testify against Her in Iowa Ethics Probe
The newspaper reported that Andy Parrish will tell an Iowa Senate ethics panel that Bachmann's presidential campaign made improper payments to state GOP chair Sen. Kent Sorenson. He and Bachmann deny the charge.
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's former top aide will give evidence to a state Senate ethics committee in Iowa that Bachmann's 2012 presidential campaign made improper $7,500 monthly payments to the head of the Iowa GOP, according to the Star Tribune.
Andy Parrish's testimony will back up allegations by Peter Waldron, who has also served as an aide to Bachmann—charges disputed by Bachmann and Sorenson, the newspaper reported:
Sorenson has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, calling the ethics charges “totally baseless, without evidence, and a waste of Iowans’ time and money.” Lawyers for the Bachmann campaign also have denied the allegations.
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Waldron’s accusations are also the subject of inquiries by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. The investigations are part of a growing web of legal problems facing Bachmann, including a lawsuit by former staffer Barbara Heki alleging that Sorenson stole a proprietary e-mail list of Iowa home-school families from her personal computer. Those allegations also are the subject of an ongoing police investigation in Urbandale, Iowa.
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