Bachmann Knew of Payments to Iowa Senator, Ex-Aide Says

Rep. Michele Bachmann knew about payments made to an Iowa state senator in exchange for his support during her presidential campaign last year, a former aide said in an affidavit released Monday.

According to the New York Times, Bachmann's former campaign chief of staff Andy Parrish testified he personally recruited Kent Sorenson with the Minnesota congresswoman’s knowledge. The state senator was paid $7,500 a month through a fundraising firm retained by the campaign, even though lawmakers in Iowa are barred from accepting employment from political campaigns.

“Congresswoman Bachmann knew of and approved this arrangement,” Parrish said in the affidavit, but added that he, Bachmann, and others on the campaign staff relied on Sorenson’s assurances that the arrangement did not “run afoul of any Iowa Senate ethics rules,” the Times reported. 

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Sorenson, who withdrew his support from Bachmann to endorse Texas Rep. Ron Paul just before the Iowa caucuses, has denied receiving payments from her campaign.

Bachmann’s attorney, William McGinley, said in a statement to the Associated Press that the campaign followed “all applicable laws and ethical rules.”