Bachmann investigated for possible campaign finance violations

Republican presidential hopeful Michele
Michele Bachmann, seen here during her presidential campaign in 2011, is under investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics for possible campaign finance violations during her presidential bid.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Congressional investigators have launched a probe into possible campaign finance violations by Michele Bachmann's presidential campaign.

In a brief statement to MPR News, Bachmann's lawyer, Bill McGinley, said Bachmann was working with the Office of Congressional Ethics. He said there are no allegations that the four-term Republican congresswoman was engaged in any wrongdoing.

News of the probe was first reported by the Daily Beast.

The investigation appears to center around Bachmann's failed presidential campaign in 2011 and whether it made improper payments to one of Bachmann's political consultants.

That campaign has been the source of a series of legal headaches for Bachmann. A former staffer filed a lawsuit in Iowa alleging that one of Bachmann's state campaign chairs stole an email list of potential supporters and used the list with Bachmann's knowledge.

A spokesman for the Office of Congressional Ethics had no comment, citing the office's confidentiality rules.

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