Bachmann still hasn’t paid presidential campaign staffers

[DonViejo]

Source: Salon


Five Iowa staffers say they've waited 375 days for payment, but refuse to sign the gag order the campaign demands

BY ALEX SEITZ-WALD

Over a year after she dropped out, Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann has refused to pay five staffers from her failed presidential bid, according to a former top campaign official. Peter Waldron, her controversial former national field coordinator, told Salon the dispute started when former Iowa straw poll staffers refused to sign a nondisclosure agreement that would bar them from discussing any “unethical, immoral, or criminal activity” they witnessed on the campaign with police or reporters.

Waldron said the staffers are owed a mere $5,000, and that Bachmann has more than $2 million in her campaign account, but has refused to pay unless the staffers sign the agreement. Negotiations over payment with Bachmann Finance Chairman James Pollack eventually broke down and Waldron decided to go public with the news, posting a press release on Christian Newswire this evening.

A Bachmann spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but we will update when they do.

“I feel a moral obligation to see that my Christian brothers and sisters are paid for worked performed in good faith. I’ve continually communicated by telephone and email with Mr. Pollack for 1 year but he broke every promise made to me to pay the staff. I appealed to Dr. [Marcus] Bachmann for help. I appealed to Representative Bachmann’s Chief of Staff Robert Boland to intercede with Mrs. Bachmann on behalf of her loyal Iowa staff — all of whom are married, all have children,” Waldron said in the press release.

“It is sobering to think that a Christian member of Congress would betray her testimony to the Lord and the public by withholding earned wages from deserving staff,” Waldron added.

-snip-



Read more: http://www.salon.com/2013/01/11/bachmann_still_hasnt_paid_her_presidential_campaign_staff/

[Omaha Steve]

1. I hope they call Wage & Hour

I'm sure they would get a lot more $ going public with any of this activity they did see.

[kardonb]

11. staff

typical republicon , spend money they don't have, and cheat hard working people .

[Bjorn Against]

2. Yet she still has more money than nearly any other member of Congress

She outspent her opponent in the last election several times over, she has plenty of cash and could easily pay her workers wages. Isn't it a crime to withhold wages?

It is VERY revealing that Bachmann is so insistent on them signing an agreement promising not to discuss criminal activity in the campaign. If there was no criminal activity why would this waiver be so important to her? I hope the FBI is paying attention, I sense a big scandal.

[Gore1FL]

3. Maybe she was paying them on commission. n/t

[Volaris]

25. It sounds more like, she would be paying them for OMISSION.

[SummerSnow]

4. She said you get paid if I win...and they said of course you'll win.LOL

[Ken Burch]

5. Bachmann was only in the race for a few months...

Last edited Fri Jan 11, 2013, 01:24 AM - Edit history (1)

...did she even have TIME to do anything she wouldn't want disclosed?

[Angry Dragon]

9. June 2011 to January 2012

[Ken Burch]

12. ok. corrected. Still, she was out before any real voting happened.

Hard to believe she could even HAVE anything to hide.

[sellitman]

6. I love the smell of scandal in the morning.

[alittlelark]

7. Both sides espouse 'Christian morals'.

Perhaps they should call on Jesus to come sort it out?

[Ken Burch]

13. That could be the new afternoon hit: "Messiah Court". n/t.

[alittlelark]

33. It could be the new 'Reality' TV hit !

Move over Judge Judy, the Big Dog's comin' in!

[Angry Dragon]

8. “unethical, immoral, or criminal activity”

I think that is an illegal non-disclosure
Marcus must have gone off again


Bachmann should be sent to prison for non payment of earned wages

[hughee99]

16. They probably would be okay with "unethical and immoral"

but I think you're right, I don't think you can sign an NDA to protect criminal activity.

[eggplant]

10. Larry Flynt should offer to pay the debt in exchange for anything they care to tell him. n/t

[Crowman1979]

22. She probably masturbated in front of a Jesus painting while Marcus was having fun with the guys.

Remember when she said that we should get HOT for Jesus?

[UnrepentantLiberal]

14. What's that story about giving a snake a ride across the river?

[rocktivity]

17. A scorpion asked a frog to take him across a pond

Last edited Sat Jan 12, 2013, 12:38 AM - Edit history (2)

The frog said, "No! You'll sting me, and I'll drown." The scorpion said, "If I did that, we'd BOTH drown."

The frog couldn't argue with that, so he let the scorpion jump on his back. He starts swimming across the pond, and the scorpion stings him!

The frog gasped with his last dying breath, "Why? Why did you sting me when you knew it would kill you, too?"

The scorpion says with HIS last dying breath, "Because it is my nature."



rocktivity

[littlemissmartypants]

15. Oh Jesus. n/t

[sakabatou]

23. I just noticed your signature...

[rocktivity]

18. They can't tell the police about illegal things they've witnessed?

How can that in itself possibly be legal?


rocktivity

[LiberalFighter]

21. It should be illegal to have that in a contract.

[Tabasco_Dave]

34. I think it is.

[Rob H.]

35. That sounds almost like formalizing a criminal conspiracy

Is there such a thing? (Seriously, I'm curious.) As far as I know, failure to report a crime can be a crime in itself. If any criminal activities were to come to light, it almost sounds as if they were dumb enough to put it in writing that they were willing to be accessories to them.

[Gman]

19. Nice attack angle.. a RW nut invoking the Christianity of another RW nut.

what's a RW nut to do?

[olegramps]

20. Sounds like they deserve each other. A marriage made in hell.

[samsingh]

24. this woman is scary, dense, a leech

[JNelson6563]

26. Staffers should send her a note...

"Dear Congresswoman,

Please disregard our previous requests for owed wages for our work on your Presidential campaign. Since we are now collaborating on a tell-all book and we've gotten some very high offers (with a generous advance in each), we've decided we can do without the money you owe us.

Enjoy and God bless!

Regards,
Names"

[SwankyXomb]

31. +1

[lexw]

27. The same attitude as that a$$ who won the nomination. What a stack of creeps—Creepublicans.

[klyon]

28. She should have had them sign first then they would know what they were in for.

If they refuse to sign (I would) than no work. It is a little late now.
What is she hiding? Hopefully someone will speak up.

[Hubert Flottz]

29. "Christian member of Congress" (CINO)

The repug misleaders are "Christian" In Name only and the repugs do that self naming to get votes from suckers.

[Blue Owl]

30. The one area in which she is "outstanding"

n/t

[Third Doctor]

32. They should sue.

[Rob H.]

36. Romney also left a lot of his campaign workers stranded

all over the US when his campaign cancelled all their credit cards right after his concession speech. Since they were willing to backstab and abandon the people who were on their sides and trying to help them win, just imagine what would've happened to the country if either of those self-centered assholes had actually won!

[dorkulon]

37. Ah, Christians. So much more ethical than the rest of us garbage.

At least they're always implying that. Never seen any actual evidence of it, though.

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

38. she is such a good christian...

NOT.