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Capitol View®
Brett Neely

MICHELEPAC draws in more than $13K despite Bachmann’s retirement

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WASHINGTON - At a tribute event last week for retiring U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, the one-time presidential candidate and tea party leader said she won't be leaving public life and plans to find a "different perch" to be active from.

One possible vehicle for that activism is her political action committee, MICHELEPAC. After going dormant for many months following Bachmann's 2013 retirement announcement, that committee began emailing supporters earlier this year asking for cash and drew in more than $13,000 in the first three months of 2014, according to a Federal Election Commission filing.

That's a relatively small haul for a PAC that at the peak of the tea party wave in 2010 and 2011 was able to muster millions in donations. MICHELEPAC reported raising nearly $5,000 from interest and the rental of Bachmann's large email list. The committee has nearly $60,000 on hand, a pittance compared to the $1.5 million Bachmann's congressional campaign reported holding as of March 31.

MICHELEPAC is what's known as a leadership PAC. Many Washington politicians have formed them, including most of Minnesota's congressional delegation. They are typically used to help elect like-minded politicians to federal office, but the FEC disclosure shows MICHELEPAC made no contributions to any political campaigns. Instead, the PAC used the money it raised to pay down debts to accountants and fundraising consultants.

By contrast, the leadership PACs of fellow Minnesota Republican Reps. John Kline and Erik Paulsen contributed $3,000 and $4,000 respectively to GOP congressional candidates in the first quarter of this year.

Debt repayment is the theme writ large across Bachmann's other two political committees, the congressional campaign and her presidential campaign. Her congressional campaign transferred $150,000 to the presidential campaign. That money was used to pay various campaign debts, primarily legal fees.

Bachmann's various political committees have reportedly been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, the FEC and the FBI for potential campaign irregularities though there have been no developments in the matter for nearly a year. Between the three committees, Bachmann racked up $94,000 in legal bills in the first three months of 2014 and still owes nearly $40,000 to two lawyers.