One day after Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., made a bizarre comment about Congress needing to give President Barack Obama a "spanking" one of her aides has been apprehended for stealing envelopes of cash from Bachmann's chief of staff, according to the Associated Press.
Javier Sanchez, 37, was arrested on July 11 for allegedly stealing two envelopes with a total of $200 in them from Bachmann's congressional office after being caught on tape in a sting operation set up by U.S. Capitol Police, according to NBC Washington.
Two separate thefts, one in February and one in March of 2013, were reported at Bachmann's office so the police set up a trap to catch any other potential thieves. After placing an envelope marked "petty cash" containing $80 in one desk an envelope marked "birthday money" containing a $120 in a different desk the police set up a hidden camera and waited. On June 25 the money was gone, according to NBC Washington.
After seeing the surveillance video Sanchez' boss identified the thief as Sanchez and after a police interview Sanchez was apprehended.
Sanchez was working as a senior legislative assistant but has since been relieved of his job. Sanchez has denied any wrongdoing according to the police affidavit.
"I may have taken a quarter once in a while, but I would pay it back," Sanchez said in the affidavit according to NBC Washington.
It has been a busy week for Bachmann. In addition to dealing with the theft in her office the Tea Party favorite made remarks that were questionable for both their phrasing and their honesty. While speaking to WorldNetDaily about the immigration bill that has passed the Senate Bachmann said that Republicans would be unable to win any elections in 2014 if the bill passed, according to the Huffington Post.
The reason Bachmann gave for her 2014 prediction is that she said it President Obama would "wave his magic wand before 2014 and he's say now all of the new, legal Americans are going to have voting rights."
Bachmann made this inference because she believes that President Obama's 2012 decision to allow those that qualify for the DREAM Act also gave the DREAMers voting rights, which it did not, and that he would do a similar thing after immigration reform passes, according to the Huffington Post.
"I'm not crying wolf here," Bachmann said. "He has a perpetual magic wand and nobody's given him a spanking yet and taken it out of his hand. That's what Congress needs to do - give the president a major wake-up call. And the way we spank the president is we do it through the checkbook."
