David Shuster calls out Michelle Bachmann for her double talk on earmarks. After claiming that she requested zero earmarks for her state Bachmann now admits she requested millions of dollars in earmarks, but now says she took them but it's not a big deal:
Bachmann: Well, the average earmark I think for the state of Minnesota for the members of Congress is somewhere around 70,000– $70 million, so mine is very, very small on that level and that’s in the first two years that was in. After I saw the way that the process worked, after being a freshman, I saw how corrupt it was and took an earmark pledge and that’s why I personally have no earmarks in the current budget bill and the stimulus bill that was passed this year.
As David Shuster notes:
Shuster: The problem is, that level is wrong. According to Legistorm in 2008 Minnesota's Congressional delegation delivered 158 earmarks costing $330 million. The average earmark from Minnesota members was not $70 million as Bachman claimed but $2.1 million which is less than the $3.7 million Bachman earmarked.
Congresswoman, when you insist that your record be put in perspective and then you mislead people about the record of your colleagues, that's hypocrisy, and it's wrong.
