New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman Calls Michele Bachmann a Liar

Video segment below from FORA.tv interview: Author and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman praises Anderson Cooper for deconstructing Michele Bachmann's claim on his CNN show that President Obama's trip to India was costing tax payers $200 million a day. "She peddled a lie that she made no effort whatsoever to check, and yet she's on Fox every week," says Friedman on the state of journalism. Meanwhile on the POTUS campaign trail: MICHELE BACHMANN: After her first Iowa trip as a presidential prospect in January, the Minnesota congresswoman is talking about potential Iowa staff and plans to return in March and April.

Karl Bremer Reports on Bachmann's Hydrocephalus Hypocrisy

Karl Bremer at Ripple in Stillwater: Once again, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has been honored for supporting something that she has repeatedly voted against. The Minnesota 6th District Republican was recognized recently as one of the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation’s “Heroes of Hydrocephalus” for her sponsorship of H.Res. 373 in 2009 designating September “National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.” It’s a curious honor, though, since Bachmann has voted against federal funding for hydrocephalus research at every opportunity since she was elected to Congress in 2006. In an update, Karl reports who really supports funding for Hydocephalus research in Congress: Ironically, the newly formed Pediatric and Adult Hydrocephalus Congressional Caucus will be co-chaired by Minnesota Congressman Tim Walz (D-1). Walz got no award but, unlike his headline-grabbing colleague, he has consistently voted "yea" on federal funding for hydrocephalus research. Once again, the usual media rules for politicians (fact-checking, accountability etc) don't apply to Michele Bachmann. Bachmann is a celebretician. Read the whole thing.

Bradlee Dean Says SW Metro Tea Party Patriots Invited Him

This is what I wrote a couple days ago about the SW Metro Tea Party Patriots sponsoring a screening of Bradlee Dean's "My War" movie: The SWMTPP can't pretend that Bradlee Dean is a fiscal conservative. His ministry spends a lot of money on showy bling - how many churches you know have a fleet of custom-painted vehicles? Then there's the two occasions when Bradlee Dean defended Ponzi schemer Tom Petters on his radio show. Not showing much fiscal responsibility, Bradlee Dean's ministry was apparently evicted for not paying their rent in 2007. Forget that this poorly-ordained ministry is about the gospel of Jesus Christ, on Christmas Day, Bradlee & Jake devoted their entire two-hour show to bashing DADT. So, why would the SWMTPP bother to turn out on a cold, snowy night to watch Bradlee Dean's dreary flick? Would it be for the hate-the-Sodomites message? What other reason is there? The mainstream media needs to stop buying the so-called GOP/Tea Party's line that they are about fiscal responsibility. Bradlee Dean talked today about the screening (after saying his sidekick Jake was going "undercover" and spying on something... this?): On the same show, Bradlee Dean invited a Holocaust revisionist who claimed "Hitler was a homosexual" - listen to the rant on this DB post.

AFA's Bryan Fischer on Bradlee Dean's Show: "Hitler Was a Homosexual"

Michele Bachmann's favorite punk preacher Bradlee Dean rants every week on his WWTC radio show (now broadcast nationwide by GCN radio network) about the "homosexual agenda". Today, Bradlee Dean ramped up the hate another notch, inviting a Holocaust revisionist, Bryan Fischer on his show to claim Adolf Hitler and the Nazi leadership were homosexuals. Listen: Bran Fischer is with the American Family Association. He is a notorious anti-gay bigot. Fisher mentions a book titled "The Pink Swastika" by Scott Lively. Watch the Daily Show interview with Scott Lively. There's lot's about Fischer on the web. Huffington Post: "The American Family Association must address Bryan Fischer's hateful comments" Truth Wins Out - "Bryan Fischer Shows David Pakman Why the AFA is a Hate Group" Right Wing Watch - "Bryan Fischer At His Anti-Gay Best" Pam's House Blend - "AFA's Bryan Fischer tries to refute hate group designation, gets smacked down HARD" Pam's House Blend - "Pawlenty sharpening up anti-gay credentials with hate group" City Pages: "Michele Bachmann fellow traveler Bryan Fischer equates Muslims with neo-Nazis" NOTE: Bradlee Dean's sidekick Jake was not on the show today. Bradlee Dean said Jake was "undercover" somewhere... where was Jake? Hmmmmm .... was Jake... here?

Aloha-ha-ha-ha! Hawaiian Columnist Pokes Fun at Bachmann's Visit

Star Advertiser columnist David Shapiro in "flASHback", a look at the week's events: Hawaii is still basking in the glow of visits from the National Football League and the tea party as we once again plant tongue in cheek and "flASHback" on the week's news that amused and confused: » Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann's office told a Bloomberg reporter she couldn't comment on the Egyptian crisis because she was doing "district work," but the Tea Party Caucus founder was actually in Hawaii giving a speech to the Grassroot Institute. Hey, when it's 10 degrees at home, you can't blame a lady for wanting her tea served with a little umbrella in it. --snip-- And the quote of the week ... from Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson on the Pro Bowl's return to Honolulu: "I like it in Hawaii. ... You can't imitate Hawaii. It's different, it's spectacular. It's more of an experience being here." And it was the perfect place to be if he needed constituent services from his congresswoman. For a slideshow of Bachmann in Maui, go to this post.

Michele Bachmann Backs Off Plan to Cut Veteran's Benefits

Star Tribune here. Some commenters note she should give back the farm subsidies she has received.

Slideshow of Pictures of Michele Bachmann in Maui

Here's a slideshow of Bachmann enjoying the warm, sunny weather working really, really hard on "district work" in Maui:

Photos of SW Metro Tea Party Activists Tabling at Screening of Bradlee Dean's "My War"

UPDATE: Bradlee Dean has confirmed (audio) that the SW Metro Tea Party invited him to screen the movie in Chanhassen - on the same show, Bradlee Dean invited Holocaust revisionist Bryan Fischer who claimed Hitler was a homosexual. *** While doing "district work" in Hawaii, Michele Bachmann (video) claimed the Tea Party was all about fiscal responsibility: The Tea Party movement, as I define it is this; if you reject the Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda, you're Tea Party. Wrong, Bachmann... this photo (and others in Bradllee Dean's "Sons of Liberty" Facebook album) shows what this so-called Tea Party really cares about: the theocratic bigotry of Bradlee Dean's ministry of hate: The photo was taken at a screening of Bradlee Dean's "My War" movie (which supposedly includes a cameo of YCRBYCH fan Michele Bachmann). The woman tagged in the photo is SW Metro Tea Party Patriots activist Cindy Pugh (another pic here). The Chaska Herald in an article about whether Carver County was "the place in Minnesota with the most Tea Party activists."interviewed Cindy Pugh: Cindy Pugh, a Chanhassen woman, said she thinks the whole point of the research was to make the Tea Party movement seem less relevant than it really is. “I think they are just trying to marginalize and stereotype,” she said. A former Republican Party volunteer who knocked on doors for the party when George W. Bush was running for president and then worked to get John McCain elected in 2008, she said she’s been to several Tea Party events in Arizona and Minnesota. Her mother and sisters live in Arizona. She said it’s a grassroots movement represented by the same demographics as live in America, and it can’t be quantified. Pugh and Souvannasoth both said they are ideologically conservative. They met on a bus from the Twin Cities to Washington, D.C., last November. In the nation’s capitol, they demonstrated against the Democrat-sponsored health care reform bill. They were responding to a call from Sixth District Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann. The buses contained many people who identified themselves as “Tea Party Patriots,” said Pugh and Souvannasoth, but it wasn’t a Tea Party-sponsored event. Bluestem Prairie found the SWMTPP/Bradlee Dean connection in this post about the SWMTP promoting Bradlee Dean's movie screening in Chanhassen. Oddly, the Bradlee Bunch did not publicize this screening as they have for other "premieres" (how many premieres does a movie get?). Maybe Bradlee Dean was worried the IRS might think this event was not religious, but political? The SWMTPP can't pretend that Bradlee Dean is a fiscal conservative. His ministry spends a lot of money on showy bling - how many churches you know have a fleet of custom-painted vehicles? Then there's the two occasions when Bradlee Dean defended Ponzi schemer Tom Petters on his radio show. Not showing much fiscal responsibility, Bradlee Dean's ministry was apparently evicted for not paying their rent in 2007. Forget that this poorly-ordained ministry is about the gospel of Jesus Christ, on Christmas Day, Bradlee & Jake devoted their entire two-hour show to bashing DADT. So, why would the SWMTPP bother to turn out on a cold, snowy night to watch Bradlee Dean's dreary flick? Would it be for the hate-the-Sodomites message? What other reason is there? The mainstream media needs to stop buying the so-called GOP/Tea Party's line that they are about fiscal responsibility. Electing Tea Party/GOP candidates can have disastrous consequences as the folks in Ravalli County, Montana learned: The Ravalli County commissioners have voiced serious concerns about the performance of the new county treasurer and are taking steps to try to fix those problems. Treasurer Mary Hudson-Smith has not reconciled the county operating accounts for the month of December. Because the books aren't balanced, Hudson-Smith hasn't been able to send the county's disbursements to the Montana Department of Justice and the Department of Revenue, which are due on the 20th of each month. Until the December books are balanced, the county also hasn't been able to distribute money to cities, towns, schools or any other agencies the county is in charge of collecting money for. Klarryse Murphy, Ravalli County's chief financial officer, told commissioners she has fielded phone calls from representatives of every school district voicing concerns over their money. "I'm trying to decipher how the accounting was done for disbursements and deposits and all that for month end. I'm just totally stumped to how that has been done in the past," Hudson-Smith said. Treasurer Mary Hudson-Smith was elected in the "red tide" of the last election: Nowhere was that rise in conservative strength more present than Ravalli County, where all 14 Republican candidates on the ticket swept into office. The momentum was especially evident in the race for Ravalli County Treasurer's Office, where Democratic incumbent JoAnne Johnson lost to Republican Mary Hudson-Smith, an employee of hers who ran almost no campaign and who earlier this year became the subject of disciplinary action under Johnson for rude and insubordinate behavior. As Ravalli County Commissioner Carlotta Grandstaff—an independent defeated by Republican challenger Suzy Foss—said shortly after the election, "This was a nationwide Republican blitz, and we got caught up in it." As you'd expect there are many interesting comments on the article about the Mary Hudson-Smith SNAFU. Here's a few: I had the pleasure of working with Joanne Johnson as a former member of the Victor Park District board. I found her to be extremely competent, helpful, honest and very hard-working. I also had to work with Mary Hudson-Smith - that experience was not quite so pleasant. It's a shame politics played such an important part in Joanne's departure. The County now knows just how valuable Joanne was. Let's look at the person and the job they do rather than the party they are affiliated with. And why does our County treasurer need to be party-affiliated anyway??? The irony of all ironies!! I'm with all you others chanting recall! Its our very own Hozni Mubarak. Lets all gather on the Courthouse steps and protest. Lunch hour, next Wednesday. Be there. And tell us, Commissioners, how exactly does hiring a subordinate reconcile with this "smallr govmint, fizcul responsibilita" drum you've been beating? Doesn't sound like there's much reconciliation going on at the County, actually. Ha! How a former floodplain administrator figures into this conversation is beyond me...clearly it is a numbrained minds attempt to subterfuge the issue. We are no ungulate, and you are no matador, so wave your red cape at the brick heads who listen to your junk. Stay on target bitterrooters! In closing, a truism as a joke: Boy, these Tea Party types...you know there's a good reason the acronym is TP: use it once, then throw it away! So now you fools are trying to blame the outgoing Treasurer. GIVE ME A BRAKE!! She did an excellent job. She was QUALIFIED for the job. The only ones to blame are the people who voted for someone who was NOT qualified. But what-the-hell she was a republican right?? Eight years of experience DOWN the drain. What an opportunity I missed. All I had to do was go sign up under the republican ticket and I could be making the big bucks right now. I’ve never managed an office, never supervised people, never balanced books, but hey, all you have to do in this Valley is sign up. CHRIST this is disgusting!! Well there you have it. A Tea Party backed candidate who didn't have a clue about the position to start with, put in charge of the finances of Ravalli County. We need to get this person out of there before the county goes broke. I think the commissioners should put the old treasurer back in the position until they can get to the bottom of this mess. Lets make sure next time that people are qualified for the position they are running for. I am glad I didn't vote for her. What about the rest of you. Good Lord, people. There will likely be more GOP/Tea Party SNAFU's like that if the MSM stops mislabeling them "fiscal conservatives" and starts taking a look at what they really are about.

SC Times: "Veterans' advocates angered by Bachmann's proposal to cut budget"

UPDATE: The Strib reports Bachmann is running away from her proposal to cut Veterans benefits. When Bachmann was busy with "district work" in Hawaii, she answered a question about her plan to cut benefits for veterans: The one tough question she received came from a military veteran, who asked why her office was looking at ways to cut veterans' benefits. Bachmann, to her credit, answered directly, saying that every part of the national budget should be examined. She said her office phones had been ringing off the hook from angry veterans, .... Saint Cloud Times has an article today about those angry veterans and their concerns: WASHINGTON — Rep. Michele Bachmann has drawn the ire of some of the nation’s veterans and an admonition from a Democratic senator over her suggestion to cut $4.5 billion in veterans’ benefits from the federal budget. Bachmann, R-Stillwater, included the suggestion to freeze the Department of Veterans Affairs health care spending and pare benefits in a list of possible cuts totaling more than $400 million. Bachmann attached the list to a Jan. 24 blog post on her congressional website. “I’m calling for Congress to do the hard work of making real and necessary cuts in federal spending,” Bachmann said in the blog. “I have put the following list on the table for discussion, and I’m calling on other members of Congress to do the same.” Direct link to the PDF on Bachmann's website: "Potential Spending Cuts and Estimated Money Saved". Here's the money quote: Veterans: $4.5 Billion - Cap increases in Department of Veterans Affairs health care spending, and reduce disability compensation to account for SS disability payments. Reduce Veterans’ Disability Compensation to account for Social Security Disability Insurance payments. Bachmann supports sending American soldiers off to war, but she doesn't give a damn about taking care of veterans of those wars and their families. Bachmann just uses veterans as nameless props to get herself elected to a cushy, gummint job with all the benefits.

Video: Bachmann in Hawaii

Video from Hawaii News Now. Wait a few seconds for the embedded video:

Bachmann in Hawaii Says Angry Veterans Are Ringing Her Office Phones Off the Hook

Chad Blair has a report on Bachmann's speech at the Honolulu Civil Beat. Interesting bits: The only significant Tea Party candidate to win elective office here is Tom Berg, the Honolulu City Councilman who won a special election with a small plurality of the vote. And Council races are nonpartisan. (Berg told Civil Beat's Inside Honolulu Wednesday, "I want a mental affair with her ... I want to meet her. Even just 10 seconds with her to get my photo taken." Berg was indeed in the audience at Ala Moana Hotel, though we cannot confirm he and Bachmann had a "mental" affair.) WTF?... Is a "mental affair" with a some Hawaian dude the same as getting lei-ed? Bachmann than threw out chunk after chunk of red meat that was consumed like chum in a shark tank: • "The Declaration of Independence gave us our mission statement. It says we are created, that there is a creator who began the United States, not government, that gave us our inalienable rights. ... These are untouchable and government can have nothing to do with them. ... Life and liberty are not a license to hedonism. It means we have the right to keep the fruits of our labors." • "The government thinks your only job is to provide them with revenue. It's a complete shift from the Founders, who in 2011 would be absolutely mortified." • "I did not wear brown clothes to be Debbie Downer today, but it's time to tell the American people about the mess the president inherited and the choices he is making. He is not evil; he's just making the wrong decisions and he is taking the country down." • "We as a nation began as a miracle ... We are the indispensable nation for the world. Whether France wants to admit it or not, they are thrilled that there is a United States. Germany too. We have been a great blessing to the world. We have used power for good. We were the first country to respond to the earthquake in Haiti ... the tsunami in Thailand." (Note to Civil Beat Department of Fact Checks: Let's pass on this one, shall we? Although it's at least worth noting that former Clinton Administration Secretary of State Madeleine Albright coined the term "indispensable nation.") • "Of course we are flawed — we are sinners saved by grace. But we continue to reinvent a better mousetrap and try to make up for errors we have made in the past." Bachmann of course wouldn't talk to reporters afterward. But, she did have to answer questions: The one tough question she received came from a military veteran, who asked why her office was looking at ways to cut veterans' benefits. Bachmann, to her credit, answered directly, saying that every part of the national budget should be examined. She said her office phones had been ringing off the hook from angry veterans, and she said was open to other options concerning the benefits. "But we need to be willing to start the conversation," she said.

Bradlee Dean's "Son's of Liberty" Joins Eagan-Based Talk Radio Network

GCNLive.com: Sons of Liberty Joins the GCN Radio Network Then get ready for the revolution with The Sons of Liberty! Bradlee Dean and Jake McMillian deliver a hard-hitting message of truth, exposing unconstitutional policy through constitutional law. The Son’s of Liberty is the first Conservative talk show that is not afraid to speak the truth, to step up and say America was founded on Christian Judeo principles – like it or not! The Sons of Liberty not only talk about the issues at hand, but lead by example with the ministry, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International. They are educating and equipping America with the knowledge of what our nation was truly founded upon – “The Bible is the Rock upon which our republic rests.” They take on today’s political hot items and the problems we face. Tracing them to the roots of the issues and bring to conclusion that many of these issue have a direct correlation to our straying from the foundations laid by our forefathers, including the biblical basis in which our country was founded. That disturbing fact is so unsettling to the left, that they cannot wait to hear the next show! Genesis Communications Network claims it is "the number 1 alternative talk radio network in the world". GCN shares the same address - 3105 Sibley Memorial Highway with Midas Resources, a gold coin vendor. Sons of Liberty newest sponsor is... you guessed it - Midas Resources: Google "3105 Sibley Memorial Highway" and you'll find this message on the MN SD 38 Republican's Facebook wall: Eric Goodrich SD 38 Republicans of Minnesota Voter ID phone bank is set for March 30th and April 1st at Midas Resources (3105 Sibley Memorial Highway Eagan, MN 55121) at 7pm.... This is one of the best ways we can ensure our candidates can reach all the conservative voters in SD38. Any questions, please contact me! And look who "liked" the message; Justin Countryman, a Republican activist, delegate and Chairman of the SD38 GOP in Eagan/Burnsville who is also married to Gina Countryman, Bachmann's campaign manager. Here's a video from Midas Resources You Tube channel:

Michele Bachmann's Creepy Pal Chris Baker Gone From KTLK

David Brauer at MinnPost: Controversial KTLK-FM morning host Chris Baker quit Wednesday, and will be replaced, at least temporarily, by former KSTP-AM host Bob Davis. Bachmann appeared on Baker's show a bunch of times. Most memorable from 2009: "We're running Out of rich people in this country" Listen to Bachmann's wacky rant excerpted from the podcast: And who can ever forget when Chris Baker threatened protesters: The Twin Cities' newest conservative talk show host has an idea for managing the thousands of protesters coming to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in September: machine guns. Chris Baker, formerly a talk radio host in Houston, took over the morning spot on KTLK in early March. On Friday, he took issue with the debate among Minneapolis law enforcement personnel as to whether police should limit the use of Tasers and pepper spray on protesters in Minneapolis (link to audio file). Baker's suggestion is violent suppression of what he calls "stinky protesters" that are part of "an industry funded by billionaires and communist organizations (and) they are well-coordinated and incredibly dangerous." Baker continued: "So we've been talking about police protection during the upcoming convention when all those stinky protesters are coming. There seems to be a big debate over whether or not police officers will be able to wear helmets, carry shields, use pepper spray and Tasers on this crowd. You know, I'll tell you what works on a crowd like this -- a machine gun, that always works very well." Baker's co-host, "Jordan," agreed: "Mow 'em down, baby!" he added. "You must have order, you cannot have a civilized society without order and if that means cracking a few skulls, so be it," said Baker. "A good ole boy network is what you need and hand out some ax handles."

Bachmann Dodges Reporter's Question About Egypt - " Concentrates on District Work" (in Hawaii?)

Karl Bremer at Ripple in Stillwater: When Bloomberg reporter and former Time magazine White House correspondent Margaret Carlson called Michele Bachmann for a comment on the people’s uprising in Egypt, Carlson wrote that Bachmann’s office told her the Minnesota congresswoman “wouldn’t be giving any interviews this week while she concentrates on district work.” But according to the Grassroot Institute Hawaii, Bachmann is scheduled to give a luncheon talk at the Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu today—4,476 miles and 80 degrees F. from the subzero temperatures her constituents in Minnesota’s 6th District woke up to this morning. "District work"? in Hawaii? It's not like Bachmann doesn't support groups opposed to governments in the Middle East - Karl Bremer also mentions Bachmann's support for the MEK, a terrorist group that once supported Saddam Hussein that has no support among pro-democracy groups in Iran. Bachmann is fond of using the word "freedom" - why doesn't she have an opinion about what's going on in Egypt? UPDATE: Bachmann will continue to be busy with "district work" later this week when she flies to South Carolina: Washington (CNN) - Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, will travel to the early primary state of South Carolina later this week (Saturday, 19th?) as she mulls a possible White House bid in 2012, CNN has learned. UPDATE: Friday, Bachmann is speaking at the Lewis and Clark Lincoln/Reagan Dinner in Helena, MT,

Does Bachmann Turn Reporters' "Heads to Mush"?

MN Publius thinks they've figured out how Bachmann gets away with lying to the media: Maybe it’s because no one can remember what she’s saying. Pretty girls turn men’s heads to mush, and men are more likely to vote Republican. She has an audience predisposed not to remember what she says, but inclined to watch her say it. Think I’m wrong? Imagine if a larger, unattractive woman said half the foolish things Representative Bachmann has. Would we see her on tv? Would we even know who she was? I have to disagree slightly; it's more her behavior - Bachmann flirts with men and even gets physical - remember the grabbing and kissing of Bush in 2007? Here's two examples of Bachmann flirting with men interviewing her... when a talk radio guy complimented Bachmann on her "skimpy dress", Bachmann gushed: It's pink and it does what it's supposed to do! Listen to Bachmann tell Jason Lewis about her "date" with George Bush: "He's absolutely buff. Jason, he's like you, you've got 1% body fat." A picture of Bachmann pawing some guy at the Andover debate in 2006:

The Cucking Stool Continues to Piece Together the Curious Origins of The Bradlee Bunch

In recent "Sons of Liberty" broadcasts on the overtly political AM 1280 The Patriot, the YCRBYCH guys have been ridiculing the notion that they need to have credentials to preach the gospel. But, preaching about Jesus is not exactly what the Sons of Liberty do on their radio show. They spend far more time on politics and in particular right-wing,Tea Party politics. and "confronting" elected officials such as Governor Dayton and Senator Marty and of course, hating gays. On Christmas day, they devoted nearly their entire 2 hours to rant against DADT and gays. Who would ordain a minister to do something like that? The Cucking Stool Blog takes a look into that today. Read - His name is written in the Book II:

Bachmann Helps Spread Debunked "Trafficking" Hoax About Planned Parenthood

Bachmann, either in or en route to sunny, warm Honolulu, posted this message on her Facebook wall a few hours ago: The flow of tax dollars to Planned Parenthood must stop. The heartbreaking video on Live Action's website exposes the depths of PP's horrific agenda. Caught on Tape: Planned Parenthood Aids Pimp’s Underage Sex Ring www.liveaction.org But according to Media Matters, it's a hoax: HOAX VIDEO EXPOSED: Planned Parenthood Already Reported "Sex Trafficking" To FBI Today, anti-abortion rights propagandist Lila Rose released her latest in a series of heavily edited videos seeking to demonstrate that Planned Parenthood engages in criminal activities. Rose's organization, Live Action, claims their video exposes what they call "Planned Parenthood's cover-up of child sex trafficking." Except that isn't what the video shows at all. Rather, the Live Action video shows edited comments made by a single Planned Parenthood employee. Live Action has so far refused to publicly release the full video of the incident, instead posting what the organization itself admits is an "abridged 11-minute video." (Live Action claims they are "sending full footage" to law enforcement officials.) Is Live Action accurately portraying the Planned Parenthood employee's statements and actions? It's impossible to say for sure without the full video, but there is good reason for media to be skeptical. Lila Rose, after all, began infiltrating abortion clinics in collaboration with James O'Keefe -- a convicted criminal who repeatedly lied about his heavily edited ACORN videos. Rose herself has a history of smearing the subjects of her videos. What's really pathetic about this particular hoax is Planned Parenthood alerted authorities immediately: NEW YORK -- Planned Parenthood, a perennial protest target because of its role in providing abortions, has notified the FBI that at least 12 of its health centers were visited recently by a man purporting to be a sex trafficker but who may instead be part of an attempted ruse to entrap clinic employees. In each case, according to Planned Parenthood, the man sought to speak privately with a clinic employee and then requested information about health services for sex workers, including some who he said were minors and in the U.S. illegally. From Planned Parenthood's statement issued January 24th: Last week, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) alerted federal authorities to a potential multistate sex trafficking ring. Over a five day period, visitors to Planned Parenthood health centers in six states said they were seeking information from Planned Parenthood about health services Planned Parenthood could provide to underage girls who were part of a sex trafficking ring. Subsequent to alerting U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Planned Parenthood learned the identify of one of those involved and believes these visits are likely a hoax by opponents of legal abortion seeking to discredit Planned Parenthood, which delivers preventive health care and abortion services to three million women each year. Bachmann is a big fan of hoaxster James O'Keefe and refuses to distance herself from the creep even after O'Keefe was caught attempting to "punk" a CNN reporter on a boat equipped with dildos, condoms, and handcuffs. Back in 2009, Bachmann expressed admiration for O'Keefe at a right-wing freak show called the How to Take Back America Conference: “Defunding the left is going to be so easy,” said Bachmann, “and it’s going to solve so many of our problems.” She praised James O’Keefe III and Hannah Giles, the people behind the ACORN sting. “Hannah and James used Saul Alinsky’s ‘Rules for Radicals’ — that’s the community organizer’s bible — against ACORN! Brilliant!” Bachmann is spreading a false rumor about a serious matter under investigation by the FBI - is that what a member of Congress is supposed to do?