May 30, 2013 05:56 PM UTC

Bachmann's Bizarre Colorado Connection: From One Deranged Congresscritter to Another...

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• by: ProgressiveCowgirl

It's almost too good to be true (although Lynn Bartels reported it first, in 2011, it's worth resurfacing now): Embattled former presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann, the Minnesota Congressional Representative taking heat from an ethics investigation, whistle-blowing former staff, and more, got one of her closest staff members from none other than Marilyn Musgrave. The latter once appeared on a bipartisan list of the "13 most corrupt members of Congress," thanks to allegations that Musgrave misused her Congressional office for campaign purposes.

Guy Short, Musgrave's Chief of Staff, served as National Political Director for Bachmann's ill-fated presidential bid. And Colorado's contribution to the Bachmann team is alleged to be directly involved in Bachmann's alleged intentional campaign finance violations:

Former staffers tell The Daily Beast that investigators have allegedly asked about allegations of improper transfer of funds and under-the-table payments actions by Bachmann’s presidential campaign, specifically in relation to the campaign’s national political director, Guy Short, and Bachmann’s onetime Iowa campaign chairman, state Sen. Kent Sorenson. 

(emphasis mine)

Michelle Bachmann's past antics included a call for investigations by the media into "which members of Congress are anti-America." If potentially having violated American law knowingly counts, I guess she got her wish. Somehow, I doubt she'll cooperate with the media's investigation in this instance, though.

And as for Short, I just want to know how he phrases this skill on his LinkedIn profile: "Specialist in working with the deranged and allegedly corrupt?" "Doesn't let a few alleged campaign finance violations stop him from getting the job done?" "Can describe with a straight face political positions that make candidate a national laughingstock?"

And have Musgrave and Bachmann endorsed him for those? Will they be posting a recommendation?