FORD
05-09-2012, 02:59 PM
Michele Bachmann Granted Swiss Citizenship
Posted: 05/09/2012 10:54 am Updated: 05/09/2012 12:51 pm
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has been granted citizenship in Switzerland.
Becky Rogness, a spokeswoman for the conservative congresswoman, said in a statement, "Congresswoman Bachmann's husband is of Swiss descent so she has been eligible for dual-citizenship since they got married in 1978." She added, "However, recently some of their children wanted to exercise their eligibility for dual-citizenship so they went through the process as a family."
Bachmann herself discussed the news with a Swiss television station. The former presidential contender said "it's tough to find a place not to like in Switzerland" and laughed off a question on whether she would run for office given that it appears she is eligible to do so in the European country.
For Bachmann, a vocal critic of President Barack Obama's health care reform law, the move comes with a twist of irony. Switzerland has nearly universal health care and mandates that its citizens purchase coverage. Bachmann herself has repeatedly taken issue with the individual mandate included in Obama's law.
She has described health care reform as "the crown jewel of socialism" and argued it amounts to "gangster government."
Posted: 05/09/2012 10:54 am Updated: 05/09/2012 12:51 pm
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has been granted citizenship in Switzerland.
Becky Rogness, a spokeswoman for the conservative congresswoman, said in a statement, "Congresswoman Bachmann's husband is of Swiss descent so she has been eligible for dual-citizenship since they got married in 1978." She added, "However, recently some of their children wanted to exercise their eligibility for dual-citizenship so they went through the process as a family."
Bachmann herself discussed the news with a Swiss television station. The former presidential contender said "it's tough to find a place not to like in Switzerland" and laughed off a question on whether she would run for office given that it appears she is eligible to do so in the European country.
For Bachmann, a vocal critic of President Barack Obama's health care reform law, the move comes with a twist of irony. Switzerland has nearly universal health care and mandates that its citizens purchase coverage. Bachmann herself has repeatedly taken issue with the individual mandate included in Obama's law.
She has described health care reform as "the crown jewel of socialism" and argued it amounts to "gangster government."