Michele Bachmann's Ethics Problems

Michele Bachmann has a history of abusing her office

By Karl Bremer

Last week’s ethics hearing on a Minnesota state senator brought back memories of one of Michele Bachmann’s less-than-finer moments in her unremarkable senate career.

Let’s take a trip in the Wayback Machine for a look at yet another one of Bachmann’s ethical lapses.

Back in 2005, State Senator Michele Bachmann was caught using the Senate chambers as a backdrop for a testimonial she made for a commercial business. That prompted the State Senate to amend its rules to prohibit such crass commercialism of the Senate chambers. The business for which Bachmann filmed the commercial endorsement was a public relations/media firm that worked for Bachmann on her “Defense of Marriage” legislation that went nowhere.

Senate Majority Leader John Hottinger (DFL-Mankato) delivered a smackdown to Bachmann on the Senate floor when he proposed—and then later withdrew—an amendment to the Senate rules prohibiting commercial use of the Senate chambers.

“When I was first alerted to that (Bachmann’s commercial), I was amazed. I was incredulous that someone would think that was an appropriate usage of the senate chambers,” said Hottinger on March 5, 2005. “I talked to a number of people and I found no one—no one—who would think it would be a proper thing to use the senate chamber to make a television ad, or an internet ad for a commercial company.”

But Hottinger then withdrew his amendment, because he wanted to avoid “filling the rules with things that are so obvious as this.” He noted that Senate rules already prohibit using Senate hearing rooms for commercial purposes.

“I don’t know why Sen. Bachmann chose to be using the senate chambers to advance a commercial business purpose when it’s barred by our rules in hearing rooms. I mean, how much common sense does it take to understand if you can’t use the less-than-sacred hearing rooms for commercial business purposes, then you shouldn’t be using the Senate chamber for commercial business purposes?” Hottinger asked.

He continued to lambaste Bachmann for her lack of judgment.

“She didn’t bother to ask anyone ‘Is this within the rules of the Senate, within the decorum, within the history, within the traditions, within the standards?’ She didn’t ask. And had she asked, of course she’d been told ‘No, we don’t use that kind of commercial purpose to promote some group that we support for financial gain … It shows how far we have stooped to think we need to have rules on something so obvious and so clear.”

Even Sen. Mady Reider (R-Shoreview), normally a faithful ally of Bachmann’s in the Senate, conceded that Bachmann’s abuse of the Senate chambers was in bad taste.

“Good taste would probably say we not use it for commercial purposes,” Reider testified.

Bachmann, of course, made no apologies for turning the Senate chambers into a commercial soundstage. In fact, using her own bizarre logic, she denied it was even a commercial.

“This was not a commercial as I had understood it. This was going to be a video ad that the company has on their website, and that’s what this was about,” Bachmann told her colleagues.

Instead, Bachmann once again played the victim card and claimed she was being vilified for supporting Minnesota businesses and jobs.

Hottinger saw through Bachmann’s smokescreen, however, noting that the commercial Bachmann made was for work the company did on Bachmann’s failed legislation.

“It’s not about jobs or economic development. If that’s the argument, any company can come in here and make a commercial.”

Hottinger’s amendment was reintroduced by Sen. Dave Kleis (R-St. Cloud) and passed on a 58-7 vote. Bachmann voted for the measure, despite her refusal to admit wrongdoing.


This is the link to the entire Senate proceedings video:




debate starts in the second hour:
2:41—HOTTINGER STARTS.
2:58—KLEIS REINTRODUCES AMENDMENT, MORE DISCUSSION