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Michele Bachmann On White House Relationship With Solyndra: ‘It’s Criminal’

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» 76 comments

Thursday night, Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren sat down with Congresswoman Michele Bachmann to discuss various topics, perhaps most notably the Solyndra scandal.

RELATED: Solyndra Executives Plead The 5th Throughout Congressional Hearing

Van Susteren posted the full, 17+ minute interview on her blog, but we’ll try to hit some of the highlights. Van Susteren kicked things off by asking Bachmann about Secretary of Energy Steven Chu’s recent testimony concerning the White House’s ties to the failed Solyndra corporation, particularly its decision to hand the company a tax payer-funded loan. “This is the height of crony capitalism,” was Bachmann’s assessment. “This is President Obama’s political donors that he’s paying off and essentially with the President, he put one of his fundraisers into the energy department to point out which of the loans should be made to which person that gave political donations to the President.” She added that “this is dirty in evry single aspect.”

“I think that’s criminal. It’s morally and ethically bankrupt,” Bachmann later continued, referring to the Obama White House’s continued missteps (Solyndra and LightSquared being but two examples), “but it’s also criminal.”

RELATED: Gen. Shelton: ‘Asked To Say Things I Didn’t Agree With’ On Dem Donor’s Company

Van Susteren noted that she uses the term “criminal” loosely and often, before asking Bachmann if she was using the term “in a flip sense” or “do you generally believe there is a violation of the code, the criminal code?”

“I genuinely believe that it’s wrong, Greta” Bachmann responded, adding that it would be “up to the people in justice” to ultimately decide whether the White House’s actions constitute actual crimes.

Have a look at the full interview, courtesy of Fox News and GretaWire.com:

h/t GretaWire.com

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  • Tony

    You’re irrelevant Michelle. No one cares what you think anymore.

  • Anonymous

    If not criminal, she’s certainly hit the nail on the head by saying it’s “morally and ethically bankrupt.”  The government had already written off Solyndra and someone in the Bush DOE said to stop responding to their attempts at contact.  A for lightsquared, it seems Obama was invested in the company that turned into LS and that they were attempting to manipulate a General’s testimony, or something along those lines, saying that in fact a work around to destroying our GPS system could be found and should be.

    Also, quick note for Bachmann: Obama runs Justice, thus it stops there.  There will be no investigation even though it all warrants it.  Ahh, livin’ the life of a corrupt politician, it ain’t easy!  Just ask Obama.

  • Mencius

    Every day, the GOP lowers the bar for what should be acceptable behavior of a presidential candidate. I can’t wait until Bachmann airs her first commercial about the solar-powered Obama death camps run by Soros.  

  • bd

    Rep. Bachmann wants Secretary Chu to resign AND be fired. Ouch.

  • Anonymous

    Foxtards, have at it. Your wet dream has arrived: Michele Bachmann, Solyndra and a whole lotta crazy.

  • Busslug

    Solyndra is not criminal, and Michelle Bachmann is crazy/stupid, why?
    Libbies…go!

  • jeff

    Rep. Bachmann wants Secretary Chu to resign AND be fired. Now THAT’s unprecedented.

  • Anonymous

    Well, at least she’s right that it’s “morally and ethically bankrupt.”  What this administration has been doing is just ridiculous.  The Solyndra loan was killed by the Bush DOE and yet Obama came in and gave the loan to them even though it was garbage.  I’m sure the fact George Kaiser was a huge fundraiser for Obama had nothing at all to do with it.

    And as for LightSquared?  Well, who wouldn’t try to help a company who’s claim to fame is that their service knocks out GPS?  I’d tend to say those who care a little for this country and our military, but that may as well just be implied by the question itself.

    As for Bachmann, just a heads up: Obama runs Justice.  Thus, it all, stops at him(Though don’t ask him, he’ll blame Bush or republicans).

  • Valkyrie101

    Michelle is digging herself a big hole, morally. That will not pay off.

  • Busslug

    Yet, here you are. Anyone else who should be silenced, slappynuts?

  • The Real Royal Emperor

    Getting a little desperate there, Sweetie? We understand. And, it’s no problem. Your braying at the moon doesn’t even awaken the cats anymore.

  • Anonymous

    Retards, have at it: corruption and crony capitalism at the highest levels of governments.  Democrats, eat your hearts out!

  • Anonymous

    Good article in the Nation of Change about pros and cons of Solyndra Loan.

  • Anonymous

    Michele is still in the race? Those soundbites won’t help salvage her dwindling numbers. Bye Michele, you friends in the house would gladly welcome you back. 

  • Valkyrie101

    Michelle claims to be the moral candidate, the Christian, the good person, but really, she has no ethics. She will say anything, including calling the president a criminal, or accusing him of setting up death panels, if it promotes her agenda.

  • Anonymous

    I really like this: government corruption in full view and what do the democrats do?  They attack the messenger.  I guess trying to stop it really isn’t a goal of democrats, just something to give lip service to.

  • Anonymous

    Eyes.

  • Neilcpa1

    She is just trying to be relevant,  she may even believe the things she says.  Strange…..

  • Anonymous

    The New Yorker did a really good piece, too, a few weeks ago in their business section on the relative merits of this investment. Anyone who wants to paint this as some kind of partisan, reckless deal that had no merit is simply ignoring the entire body of evidence. (In fact, Solyndra was on the Bush administration’s short list of recommended candidates to receive funding.) But if you’re Michele Bachmann and your campaign has slid into irrelevance, your only hope for attention is to make over-the-top charges and whip up the sheeple into a frenzy, as some of the comments here will attest.

  • http://twitter.com/TheMorningSpew The Morning Spew

    This is what the OWSers should be protesting, but instead they are preventing people from going to work.
    http://themorningspew.com/2011/11/18/why-i-cant-stand-owsers/

    That’s because it is a POLITICAL movement!

  • A Vote Against

    “The results of the Congressional probe shared Tuesday with ABC News show that less than two weeks before President Bush left office, on January 9, 2009, the Energy Department’s credit committee had voted against offering a loan commitment to Solyndra.Even after Obama took office on Jan. 20, 2009, analysts in the Energy Department and in the Office of Management and Budget were repeatedly questioning the wisdom of the loan. In one exchange, an Energy official wrote of “a major outstanding issue” — namely, that Solyndra’s numbers showed it would run out of cash in September 2011.There was also concern about the high-risk nature of the project. Internally, the Office of Management and Budget wrote that “the risk rating for the project sponsor [Solyndra] … seems high.” Outside analysts had warned for months that the company might not be a sound investment.”

  • Anonymous

    Don’t kill the messenger. You think corruption doesn’t exist in Obama’s administration just because Bachmann says so? 

  • Anonymous

    This is a sound bite situation for bloggers and Michelle Bachmann, but if you start looking at the facts it really changes the dynamic of the loan. The deal did waste alot of money, but subsidies for ethanol blending wasted over 5 billion in 2010 and you just hear crikets

  • TSK

    Of course it is. Its the Bill Ayers and ObaMao diversion protest.Its a diversion from the worst POTUS record. Its impossible for ObaMao to run on his record…and mark my words its going to be about 5 times worse next summer when media sycophants will realy hyping the faux cause.

  • Anonymous

    An incompetent, crooked President chose an incompetent idealogue as a cabinet secretary. 16 billion of 20 that was set aside for green scams went to Obama cronies. But , keep defending the guy while all the scandals come to light.

  • Anonymous

    skyfet in a snit today (as usual) because of a frustrating day yesterday. He lost 47 of 48 tic tac toe matches against his chicken, skycluck, and now thinks the chicken took pity on him and let him win one.

  • Anonymous

    Must be tough being you Eddie? I bet you also wish you could change your outlook in real life as you change your avatar on disqus? That’s lame, pity.

  • Anonymous

    Furthermore, the loan comprises just 1.3% of the Department’s overall loan portfolio. To date, Solyndra is the only loan that’s known to be troubled.

  • Kid Dynamite

    Even Greta Van Rictus isn’t buying Bachmann’s shit, noting that Bachmann couldn’t identify a law the Administration had violated.

    If you want to investigate a criminal fraud, Michele, you should look into the funds Marcus gets for his Homosexual Reeducation Camps. 

  • azgrandma

    Between her and sarah the stuff that flows from the pie holes are so unbelievable.  Let’s see I bet she can go help sarah get that big rope to hang em from the highest tree!  If they only had a brain.

  • Anonymous

    The continual sourpuss here is you, goatbreath.

  • Anonymous

    Must have struck a nerve? Take it like a big boy Eddy.

  • Anonymous

    Tinfoil hat wearing batshit crazy conspiracy theorist alert! Run!!! Obama’s coming fer yer guns!!!

  • Anonymous

    That’s spelled Eddddie. Ahhhh

  • http://gregingleright.weebly.com/ Greg

    Another example of right wingers willing to ignore significant details to manufake an outrageous conclusion. Michelle declares a “crime” without connection to criminal code, “crony capitalism” by ignoring the origins of the companies federal financial support. Details trampled in a rush to blame and inflame…everyday with this crew.

  • Anonymous

    Bachmann’s shameless need for attention is criminal…so is her make-up.

  • Anonymous

    Why are you embarrassed by it? Be proud.

  • TSK

    “I created much of the intellectual foundation for what they do. I support what they do.”
    -Lez Warren

  • Anonymous

    Oooooh, Michele looks pretty in that interview! That flowing, fragrant auburn hair, those luscious lips, that perfect Nordic complexion…ahhhh…she got class. She got style. She got grace. She a lady.

  • TSK

    “I created much of the intellectual foundation for what they do. I support what they do.”
    -Liz Warren

  • Valkyrie101

    We would be more willing to consider what you say if it wasn’t for the fact that all you ever post, ever, is anti-Obama crap.

  • Anonymous

    Where’s Marcus? Ever since the “is he”? controversy, he’s been strangely missing. Hopefully she poked some air holes in that closet she keeps him in.

  • Anonymous

    She sounds exactly like that plastic blow up doll you’re so fond of!

  • Anonymous

    So irrelevant that you decided to comment.

  • Anonymous

    Nope – there are more. SIGA.

    Continue to spin, spin, spin.

  • Anonymous

    I think that Gloves and I dislike R’s and D’s almost equally. I give Dems. the edge  because they think nothing is wrong with what they do in a different way than Rs do.

  • Anonymous

    Yes, the GOP never needed someone like you in it.

    Gloves is funny. You are not.

  • Don Horn

    Here is what
    really happened. I was there. Solyndra happened to get caught first but they
    were not the first of the crimes.

     

    In the waning
    period of the Bush Administration, The Bush White House saw one last chance to
    grab a major war-chest of cash before the Democrats took over. George Bush
    hired Lachlan Seward to re-route part of the money, the part that was going to
    the Department of Energy. Seward’s instructions were to pass along a portion of
    the money per an inside deal with the CEO’s of Detroit’s 3 biggest car
    companies. The 3 CEO’s met together, planned together and hard-wired the money
    together via Mr. Rattner. A few other people found out about this deal in the
    transition period and other due-diligence-free inside deals were made to shut
    them up. Seward hires a secretary and an intern from IBM named Brent Petterson.
    Brent has orders to set IBM up, under a multiple of names to act as a “car
    company reviewer”. IBM creates, and then buys, fake consulting companies in
    order to support the kickback scheme. IBM consulting was ordered to stall,
    delay, delete, lose, fake results and change test metrics for any applicant who
    was not tied to Detroit or a White House bundler. Notice IBM was recently
    fired.

     

    Since every
    company that did get money, now either has: gone bankrupt, had a worthless
    technology, a Russian mob connection or had no way to compete with the other
    applicants if those applicants got a chance, this proves that the “due
    diligence” was fake and for appearances only. Chu directed his people to do no
    actual due diligence on the chosen few and to hand them money and kill or stall
    the other competing applicants who didn’t pay-to-play.

     

    Then the Obama
    Administration moves in and Steve Rattner, Rahm Emanual, David Axelrod and
    Robert Gibbs see how the scam is running and they say, “hey, no way”. “We are
    still going to do the scam but as prizes for our benefactors instead of yours”.

     

    Venture capital
    guys from Kleiner, Westley, Khosla and a little group of VC’s say: “Hey Mr. O.,
    you want the big bucks? Put our guy Chu in the top spot and we will guarantee
    at least $200M”

     

    The little group
    of VC’s says to Chu: “Lean it our way and we will fix you up for life after you
    retire and buy you your own personal reactor”.

    Part way through,
    Steve Rattner cuts a deal with the 3 Detroit CEO’s to make sure that nobody who
    can compete with them gets any of the money. Seward creates what is now known
    as the “stall plan”to keep any other applicant from getting through what every
    bank in America spends 2 weeks on (DOE has stalled all applicants for years as
    of now).

     

    Later in the
    administration all four are notified that they are under investigation and that
    the jig is up. Rattner is then indicted in NY for securities fraud and the
    other 3 mysteriously leave their top-of-your-career jobs for no apparent reason
    at about the same time because they have been caught and deals have been cut. A
    turf war begins which only then becomes partisan. Some enforcement groups are
    trying to protect and some are trying to prosecute. There is a document at the
    White House called “Overton.2” that is the briefing that the four got that made
    them run for the hills. At least 25 people have seen “Overton” (it has a couple
    of names) and copies of it are around. Those four knew this was all coming, and
    how bad it was going to be, when they quit the White House.

     

    Now that I know
    that at least three writers are way down the road on deeply researched books
    and it is certain that every bad guy in this scheme is going to get caught. I
    have no problem spilling my short-version story of the scheme.

     

    So how did people
    make money: the last two weeks of 60 Minutes gave you part of the story: The
    insider trading story on 60 minutes was part of it; Abramoff and his
    step-by-step tips were how the other part worked; The other part was even
    trickier: the deal packagers took fees off the top of each deal and then walked
    away with their finder/factoring/incentive/VC or whatever-you-call-it-fee to
    forget about the company and allow it to languish. Three of the VC guys bet on
    one of the companies to fail and made margin when they did. Nobody checked on
    the companies, not DOE, not the bundlers: nobody. So the CEO’s of those
    companies also stole money because: nobody was watching. That is pretty much
    it.

     

    You will see it
    all layed out in the books, I have read a clean draft of one of them. This is
    ten times bigger than Watergate but people from both parties did the crimes!

    T. Insider

     

     

    Also see:

    http://corruptiondoe.weebly.com

     
     

  • Tony

    Yes. She’s so irrelevant that I needed to come here to write a comment how irrelevant she is. I usually don’t do that.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IC7HRBJRXKA7IKTTZS5W3UIECQ Agent of Truth

    Michelle Bachman and those like her who occupy the animal kingdom’s lowest order are more criminal than the stupid things they try to turn into issues for confusion the GOP’s convenient idiots.  You know the type….registered republican voters.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IC7HRBJRXKA7IKTTZS5W3UIECQ Agent of Truth

    If this subject was the the result of republican efforts she would not be calling it criminal.  She would be praising it in the name of Allah!

  • Valkyrie101

    Well then WC, you will be happy to know that finally, Ron Paul will be leading his own third party crusade. So there you go, another option for you. And Sarah is smirking these days because if Romney is selected, if he starts to run away with it by way of primary votes, and if the tea party looks to be shut out, and knowing, as Ann and Sarah do, that Romney can not beat Obama, and he provides no coatails to tea party republican candidates, then she is more than willing to give substance to her brew by way of third party. In fact that is the only smart move for the tea party. So you may have another option.  

  • Valkyrie101

    Do you currently own a copy of Catcher in the Rye?

  • Anonymous

    Actually, no. Bachmann likes to go after both sides. Good attempt though.

  • Anonymous

    I’m fine with a 3rd Party run. I don’t support Paul in general, but I think he has some good things about him.

    I don’t like any of the candidates. I welcome Peter’s book Throw Them All Out to the discussion table.

  • Valkyrie101

    I agree that none of the republican candidates are very good.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_36BD4PJPSMELQCCUYBXPJKJ5OY Mega

    I’m confused. I thought Obama was a socialist, but it turns out that he’s a socialist AND a crony capitalist? If anyone can take two completely incompatible economic positions, it’s definitely this communist fascist who’s both an atheist AND muslin.

    This Obongo guy’s far more cunning and dangerous than we thought.

  • Jerry Baustian

    Breitbart has posted the names of Obama donors and bundlers who have collected $16.428 BILLION in “green” energy grants and loan guarantees. 

    Solyndra is just the tip of the iceberg.

    It has to be illegal, for any president to hand out so many billions of dollars to his campaign contributors. In fact, I don’t think anything of this nature or this scale has ever been done before. 

    $16 billion — and that is before any discussion of the billions that went to labor unions.

    http://www.docstoc.com/docs/103459442/Obama-Bundlers_-Large-Donors_-and-Supporters-fixed-pdf

  • Anonymous

    Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is a strong, independent, intelligent, attractive, articulate, powerful and accomplished conservative woman.  She has been selected by Forbes Magazine as one of the 100 most powerful women in America.  She is ranked number 22 behind Oprah (14), Michelle Obama (8) and Hillary (2).  She has also been slected by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Americans, male or female.  This terrifies the liberals who want their women wither to be “left wing kooks” or remain quiet, barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.  Michele is living the life which Gloria Steinham and the “Womens Libbers” envisioned for women four decades ago.  She has an outstanding education, a husband, a family and a phenominally successful career.  She has it all!  She is a great role model for American women!

  • Anonymous

    Those camps are highly classified secrets!  Who told you about them?

  • Anonymous

    Didn’t she say that he should only resign and be fired after he has been waterboarded?

  • Anonymous

    “Your wet dream has arrived:  Michele Bachmann.”  How did you know?  I haven’t told a soul!

  • Anonymous

    It is not unprecedented!  Navy Seal Team 6 accepted the resignation of Osama bin Laden as head of Al Queda just before they fired him!  Know your history!

  • Anonymous

    Michele Bachmann spells Michele with one “l”.  How else woulf we be able to tell her apart for Michelle Obama who spells it with two “ls”.

  • Anonymous

    Funny, but that is what the liberal Democrats said about Ronald Reagan in 1979 and 1980!

  • Anonymous

    Her eyes are beautiful! 

  • Anonymous

    Dream on!

  • Anonymous

    I agree with carltonwest!  Michele is beautiful.  I would love to be stranded alone with her on a desert island.  carltonwest will not be invited!

  • Anonymous

    Thank you for the information!

  • Anonymous

    Is that the autobiography of Yogi Berra?

  • Anonymous

    A lot of conservatives are not registered Republicans!

  • ASAP

    That is a lie.  The Bush administration never stopped the loan, it simply ran out of time.
     From Politifact: House Republicans investigating Solyndra have claimed that the Bush
    administration ultimately rejected the Solyndra loan, but that’s not
    quite the case. Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and news media point
    out that Bush energy officials wanted to get the loan closed on their
    way out the door — it was listed as the first of their “three highest
    priorities through January 15.” (Obama took office Jan. 20, 2009.) But
    the Energy Department’s credit committee held things up for more
    analysis. 

    “The number of issues unresolved makes a
    recommendation for approval premature at this time. Therefore, the
    committee, without prejudice, remands the project to the LGPO [Loan
    Guarantee Program Office] for further development of information,” the committee said.

    It noted Solyndra’s project “appears to have merit.” But the clock had run out.

    http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/nov/17/david-plouffe/solyndra-loan-george-w-bush-david-plouffe/

  • ASAP

    House Republicans investigating Solyndra have claimed that the Bush
    administration ultimately rejected the Solyndra loan, but that’s not
    quite the case. Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and news media point
    out that Bush energy officials wanted to get the loan closed on their
    way out the door — it was listed as the first of their “three highest
    priorities through January 15.” (Obama took office Jan. 20, 2009.) But
    the Energy Department’s credit committee held things up for more
    analysis. 

    “The number of issues unresolved makes a
    recommendation for approval premature at this time. Therefore, the
    committee, without prejudice, remands the project to the LGPO [Loan
    Guarantee Program Office] for further development of information,” the committee said.

    It noted Solyndra’s project “appears to have merit.” But the clock had run out.
    http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/nov/17/david-plouffe/solyndra-loan-george-w-bush-david-plouffe/

  • Anonymous

    No, there are e-mails floating around showing one particularly saying to quit communicating with them.  I won’t bother with clicking the politifact link because they’re biased morons(See them on Obamacare).  They wouldn’t know the truth if they said it.

  • Curious

    Yes, Michelle Bachmann is so powerful, intelligent and accomplished that she can’t get one Republican Member of Congress to endorse her presidential bid.  Why is that?  As for her comments on LightSquared, she calls LightSquared’s acquistion of bandwidth spectrum under Obama’s direction as “unethical” and “criminal”. The only problem is that LightSquared gained control of this portion of the spectrum under the FCC during the Administration of President George W. Bush.  So I guess she means that Bush was “unethical” and “criminal”? 

  • Anonymous

    Republicans and Democrats do not like to get involved in party primaries until they have a pretty good idea who is going to win.  Since the Republican field is wide open, very few of the Republican candidates are getting endorsements, whereas Democrats are tripping over themselves to let everybody know that they support the President’s re-election.  In her new book she is very critical of some of President Bush’s policies.  She is a tough cookie and you can underestimate her at your peril!

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