The Congressional ethics probe into Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-MN) use of campaign funds has widened to examine whether the tea party lawmaker improperly used her presidential campaign to promote her autobiography, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Wednesday.
Two former aides to Bachmann told the Star Tribune that they’ve been questioned by investigators about the congresswoman’s 2011 tour for her book, “Core of Conviction.”
Both federal election laws and House ethics rules prohibit candidates from using campaign resources to promote their own books. That the former aides have been questioned about the book tour suggests that the the scope of the investigation has broadened. The probe initially centered around whether Bachmann mixed campaign funds with her political action committee, MichelePac.
William McGinley, Bachmann’s campaign lawyer, insisted to the Star Tribune that the book tour was financed by the publisher, Sentinel/Penguin Group (USA).
At a press conference last week, Bachmann was hustled out of the room by aides when reporters inquired about the ethics probe. Read the Star Tribune’s report here.
