Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Does Michele Bachmann and her husband earn income from the family farm or not?

I'd like to start off by saying:

1. That I'm not accusing Michele Bachmann of anything.
2. I'm not an expert on tax law and how earned and unearned income is used when determining ones income for any given year.
3. I'm just confused about her statements.

Here Bachmann is with Chis Wallace talking about her husband's family farm on Fox News Sunday:



Now this was reported in an AP article in the DesMoines Register:
BACHMANN: “The farm is my father-in-law’s farm. It’s not my husband and my farm. It’s my father-in-law’s farm. And my husband and I have never gotten a penny of money from the farm.” – On “Fox News Sunday.”
THE FACTS: In personal financial disclosure reports required annually from members of Congress, Bachmann reported that she holds an interest in a family farm in Independence, Wis., with her share worth between $100,000 and $250,000.
The farm, which was owned by her father-in-law, produced income for Bachmann of at least $32,500 and as much as $105,000 from 2006 through 2009, according to the reports.
The farm also received federal crop and disaster subsidies, according to a database maintained by the Environmental Working Group. From 1995 through 2010, the farm got $259,332 in federal payments.
Bachmann told the Associated Press Monday that her husband became a trustee of the farm because his father had dementia before he died two years ago, and “oversees the legal entity.”
“Everything we do with those forms is in an abundance of caution,” she said Monday, insisting she and her husband receive no farm income despite the forms reporting it.
If you follow these links, you can see her House of Representative financial disclosures from 2005-9 in which the Bachmann Family Farm is listed as Unearned Income with a notation that reads, "Royalties". the 2009 filing is HERE.

Now I'm confused. Is she and her husband getting income from that farm or not? She seems to be saying one thing and her finacial disclosures show something else.

BTW, Bachmann requested an extension of the May 15 filing deadline of her House of Representatives Financial disclosure. Perhaps to clear things up now that she's running for President?

Maybe one of our readers can explain these discrepencies because I sure can't.

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12 comments:

Anonymous said...

It looks like they're earning income to me.

Another problem for her!

Anonymous said...

it sounds like she can't explain away the income...but doesn't seem to think it will hinder her campaign for the WH?

Bob said...

This seems to show that she earned income from the family farm. Hence, benefited from Farm Subsidies which she claims she has not.

Noelle said...

This doesn't look good for Bachmann. Perhaps a Bachmann supporter can explain how she is not being deceptive on this issue.

Whitey 2012 said...

It doesn't matter.

We just don't want the Mitster and would support Whitey Bulger if we thought he could win the GOP nomination.

Mike said...

This looks pretty damaging.

How does she explain saying one thing and filing another?

Anonymous said...

I have yet to meet a Bachmann supporter. Honestly. I don't know where the numbers are really coming from.

Anonymous said...

They are the Huck 'one of us' voters. A little lie here or there? Incompetence? Meh.

-Martha

Anonymous said...

Remember that Huck voters NEVER cared about his ethical problems. They either ignored them, or tried to justify them. The Huckabee's tried to make off with $70,000 in furniture from the Gov mansion. Wedding gift registries. Destroyed hard drives. $130,000 in illegal gifts. Endless flat out lies coming from Huckabee, even up until the Kenyan flap.

It doesn't register with these people. None of it made a dent--he was preacher, you know.

These are the very same voters. Muchelle Bachmann can get away with as much or more as Huck without these people caring one bit. And so can Sarah Palin. She has the same exact problem with ethics and the truth.

-Martha

Anonymous said...

Bachmann told the Associated Press Monday that her husband became a trustee of the farm because his father had dementia before he died two years ago, and “oversees the legal entity.”
“Everything we do with those forms is in an abundance of caution,”

Her husband got a small income for work as the TRUSTEE and she does the taxes for the business now. It is ALL LEGAL!!

No to farm subsidies said...

anon :51,

First, a LINK to the info in your comment!

So what you are saying, is that the Palin family DID earn income from the Bachmann Farm that has been benefiting from farm subsidies?

Al said...

When someone's giving conflicting statements, you can't help but think it's getting too complicated to continue fabricating lies. Then again maybe she invested in binary options trading. That could explain the income growth.