Free Republic

The House Ethics Committee is launching a full-tilt investigation of Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. The committee announced on Friday it had received a referral from the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent investigative body, and said in a brief statement that it would formally investigate the one-time Republican presidential candidate. A lawyer for Bachmann had previously acknowledged the investigation by the OCE and said that Bachmann was cooperating. That probe is focused in part on her short-lived presidential bid.

Michele Bachmann's downward spiral continues. The latest: Her presidential campaign is being investigated by the Office of Congressional Ethics, the Daily Beast reports in a piece comparing Bachmann to the Hindenburg and the Titanic. Federal investigators are looking into alleged campaign finance improprieties, and several former campaign staffers acknowledge they've been interviewed. The allegations of improper funds transfers and payments specifically relate to Guy Short, the campaign's national political director, and Kent Sorenson, the Iowa campaign chairman who jumped ship and joined up with Ron Paul. Bachmann's campaign counsel notes, "There are no allegations that the Congresswoman engaged in any...