DUMPBACHMANN INVESTIGATION SPURS BACHMANN TO GIVE AWAY LESS THAN HALF OF THE $10,000 IN 'DIRTY MONEY' SHE TOOK FROM USNVA's BOBBY THOMPSON

For the second time in as many elections, Michele Bachmann has been forced to give up thousands of dollars taken from a suspected con man after an investigation by Stillwater writer Karl Bremer linked Bachmann to the dirty money.

The day after Bachmann Campaign Manager Gina Countryman hung up on Bremer following the latest of several ananswered inquiries to her office about Bachmann's connection to Thompson, Bachmann announced she was giving away less than half of the $10,000 donation she received from the fraudster-on-the-lam at her April 7 fundraiser with former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin.

In 2008, Bachmann returned $9,200 from convicted money-launderer/cocaine runner/gun runner Frank Vennes Jr. after it was revealed in a series of articles by Bremer that Bachmann had taken tens of thousands of dollars from Vennes in campaign contributions and then written a letter requesting a presidential pardon for his federal crimes.

UPDATE: Kevin Diaz at the Strib says the MN GOP is giving up the other part of Thompson's $10K. Diaz graciously added a hat tip for Karl Bremer.