Michele Bachmann drops Swiss citizenship, says she's 'a proud American'

Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann spoke with Swiss national television about becoming a Swiss citizen.

Michele Bachmann doesn’t want to be Swiss after all.

On Tuesday, Swiss national television reported that Bachmann, a Republican U.S. senator from Minnesota and former GOP presidential candidate, had recently become a citizen of Switzerland, a landlocked European country surrounded by Italy, France and Germany.

By Thursday, after media reports about her dual citizenship, Bachmann said she had sent the Swiss consulate a letter to withdraw her citizenship. She said she wanted to be clear that she was "100 percent committed to our United States Constitution and the United States of America."

She was eligible for citizenship because Marcus Bachmann, her husband of 34 years, was born to Swiss immigrants who moved to Wisconsin, POLITICO reported. Bachmann’s office said the Bachmann children wanted dual citizenship and so the family decided to go through the process together, according to Minnesota Public Radio. They officially became Swiss citizens in March.


In Tuesday's report, Arthur Honegger, a journalist for Swiss national television, asked Bachmann if she would consider running for office in Switzerland.

Gesturing to the politicians behind her, Bachmann said competition would be “very stiff because they are very good.”

The Bachmanns visit Switzerland often, she added, always returning home with bags of the country's well-known chocolate.

But on Thursday, Bachmann released a statement saying she had sent a letter to the Swiss Consulate requesting to withdraw her Swiss citizenship.

“I took this action because I want to make it perfectly clear: I was born in America and I am a proud American citizen,” she said. “I am proud of my allegiance to the greatest nation the world has ever known.”

The Swiss Embassy in Washington confirmed that the Swiss Consulate in Chicago had received Bachmann's e-mail asking that her Swiss citizenship be withdrawn.

The embassy refused to elaborate, saying, "The Embassy does not comment on this private decision by Mrs. Bachmann."

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Discuss this post

Glad to have you back, Michelle. Seriously. Well, almost.

And don't listen to those yahoos who'll say you're a flip-flopper now.

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

  • 1 vote
Reply#1 - Thu May 10, 2012 7:03 PM EDT

to gain Swiss citizenship, you have to deposit a huge amount of money in a Swiss trust, to show you are self supporting, shortest book in the world, poor Swiss citizens .

  • 1 vote
#1.1 - Thu May 10, 2012 8:12 PM EDT

I promise I won't call her a flip flopper! She is a joke! LOL

  • 7 votes
#1.2 - Thu May 10, 2012 8:17 PM EDT

What WONDERFUL news tonight, .... for Switzerland.

Nearly 8 million Swiss citizens are singing and rejoicing and dancing in the streets!

Don't stop now, Michele. One citizenship down, one to go. Come on, Michele. Pretty please!!!!!

Hey, come to think of it, Michele, I don't recall that you have shown us your birth certificate. What are you trying to hide, Michele. Why won't you show us your birth certificate? This is how it starts, Michele. Turn about is fair play, hmmm?

  • 8 votes
#1.4 - Thu May 10, 2012 9:46 PM EDT

I wouldn't say she's a flip flopper. She's about as consistent as you get...

She's definitely been consistently crazy.

  • 4 votes
#1.5 - Thu May 10, 2012 10:29 PM EDT

Michelle Bachmann:

If she acquired a Swiss Citizenship, how loyal is she to her own Country.

Thank G-d, she did not pass the sniff test to run for President of the United States.

She is a screwball. How does any American really know about a Presidential candidate, or others who want to be President, the real truth in their lives.

Seems to be a lot of lies these days in running for US President. This is intolerable. To contradict myself, it's probably been this way for the last 232 (year 1776) years, beginning with George Washington who never told a Lie. Oh yeah, really?

  • 4 votes
#1.6 - Fri May 11, 2012 12:12 AM EDT

Switzerland....please take her...pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaassssssssssse!

  • 2 votes
#1.7 - Fri May 11, 2012 1:56 AM EDT

jesus h nipple. even out of the race, she still cant stop making herself look like an idiot in front of tv cameras

  • 1 vote
#1.8 - Fri May 11, 2012 3:10 AM EDT

Refusing citizenship in another country has to be one of the dumbest things one can do. Especially in a stable European country. Not too many people are fortunate enough to have dual citizenship. Besides, where will she go when we run her out of this country?!!

    #1.9 - Fri May 11, 2012 11:21 AM EDT

    Have we really gotten to a place where the article needed to explain that switzerland was a european country? If that is the case, I can also understand why Bachman is the face of the proud American.

    • 1 vote
    #1.10 - Fri May 11, 2012 12:43 PM EDT
    Reply

    Why did she succumb to pressure? Under the circumstances, there really isn't an issue about her having dual citizenship.

    • 1 vote
    Reply#2 - Thu May 10, 2012 7:06 PM EDT

    She had a chance to get more attention by claiming dual citizenship...and she did. Now that her 15 minutes are up....she's trying to get another 15 minutes by dropping it.

    Like the other wacko nutbag from Alaska...Michelle too is a quitter. What's the story?

    • 2 votes
    #2.1 - Fri May 11, 2012 8:03 AM EDT
    Reply

    left over political aspirations? don't worry Michou, you can always get the Swiss citizenship later, if you turn out not to be so proud anymore.

    • 3 votes
    Reply#3 - Thu May 10, 2012 7:15 PM EDT

    Honestly, I didn't think anything about her dual citizenship. The most disengenuine thing about politicians is that they worry too much about appearances.

      Reply#4 - Thu May 10, 2012 7:31 PM EDT

      Maybe she didn't want to hurt her chances for a presidential run in 2016? Yeah, right! Stay where you are, crazy eyes!

      • 2 votes
      #4.1 - Thu May 10, 2012 8:22 PM EDT
      Reply

      This comes under the category of "who gives a sh*t." One could only hope she kept the citizenship and moved there permanently...let the Swiss deal with her crazy ass.

      • 4 votes
      Reply#5 - Thu May 10, 2012 8:06 PM EDT

      The Swiss probably took a vote and tossed her back to us! Damn them Swiss! LOL Any other takers!

      • 3 votes
      #5.1 - Thu May 10, 2012 8:21 PM EDT

      hey. you folks in AK gave us a right-wing nut-bag, too!

        #5.2 - Fri May 11, 2012 3:12 AM EDT

        @D: Don't I know it! We are still recovering from her! Two peas in a pod as they say!

        • 2 votes
        #5.3 - Fri May 11, 2012 10:00 AM EDT
        Reply

        Flip-Flop IDIOT

        • 1 vote
        Reply#6 - Thu May 10, 2012 8:09 PM EDT

        it was a non issue. she made it into an issue. politics.

          Reply#7 - Thu May 10, 2012 8:35 PM EDT

          Damn. Had I known she was a Schweitzer I would have given here a lifetime supply of swiss cheese!

          • 1 vote
          Reply#8 - Thu May 10, 2012 8:50 PM EDT

          Lets start a fundraiser and get that c^nt to Pakistan so she can apply there, she's just like them, a bigot who quotes from fairytales and then judges women.

          • 3 votes
          Reply#9 - Thu May 10, 2012 10:04 PM EDT

          Hey, great! That puts her back on Mitt's short list. It's going to be a fun campaign!

          • 2 votes
          Reply#10 - Thu May 10, 2012 10:30 PM EDT

          Not that I give a Horse's a-- about this story in MSNBC, but what a let down on this site. Most of you have to fill very good to have so much hatred towards someone.

          How brave to behave as you all do by insulting anyone that does not have your Ideology. And how sad that MSNBC caters to this type of prejudice.

          I'm sure that not one of you would last in a site that is Independent of for that matter real Democratic. You are a giant among midgets.

          • 1 vote
          Reply#11 - Thu May 10, 2012 10:35 PM EDT

          Concern Citizen: Relax. She did it for publicity, not because she is a loyal American. She's not. The female human doesn't believe in rights for everyone.

          • 3 votes
          #11.1 - Thu May 10, 2012 10:51 PM EDT

          concerned citizen, if you're so uncomfortable here buzz off and join the lemmings at Faux Noise. You should fit in quite nicely.

          • 1 vote
          #11.2 - Fri May 11, 2012 12:18 AM EDT

          haha. CC is taking a moment away from his usual anti-Obama rants and insults to rag on others about -- ranting and insulting.

          gee. there's a shocker!

          • 3 votes
          #11.3 - Fri May 11, 2012 3:14 AM EDT

          Sorry to have annoyed you on the left, I learn how to rant by listening to you. And to think that I was a quiet Independent 3 years ago. I much as I hate MSNBC, I'm here to stay with my avatar or chance it if I have to. Freedom O speech as you all put it and keep reminding me of it. I'm learning from my girlfriend Beisty feisty and her mob of regular cheerleaders.

          slightlyold JackBNimble1, DMorgan

            #11.4 - Fri May 11, 2012 7:48 AM EDT
            Reply

            Better check her papers to make sure she's not an illegal alien.

            • 2 votes
            Reply#12 - Fri May 11, 2012 12:07 AM EDT

            Send her to Newts moon colony....eating Cain's $9.99 pizza....reading Santorum's 14,056 page special bible....without Romney's hair gel....forcing her to repeat Perry's lost department name, over and over.

            • 2 votes
            #12.1 - Fri May 11, 2012 8:11 AM EDT
            Reply

            Couldn't she have dropped her American citizenship instead? That was definitely a win for the Swiss.

            • 3 votes
            Reply#13 - Fri May 11, 2012 12:13 AM EDT

            It's a "non-issue"?!?!! BWAA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SURE it is ....!!! RIIIIIIIGHT!!! AS IF!!!

            The Minnesota Moron finally developed the faintest glimpse of a clue and realized just how freaking hypocritical she was, in that she was cheerfully taking out citizenship in ONE OF THOSE VERY SAME SOCIALISTIC COMMUNISTIC EURO-COMMIE BIG-GUB'MINT-LOVING countries whose citizens HATE REPUGNANTicans, who proudly accept HIGH TAXES and who proudly enjoy and support GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE FOR EVERYONE, which Batsh*t-Crazy Bachmann has spent years hating on and LYING ABOUT.

            • 2 votes
            Reply#14 - Fri May 11, 2012 12:43 AM EDT

            Pardon my lack of perception...I just want to know why she applied in the first place.

              Reply#15 - Fri May 11, 2012 2:19 AM EDT

              she has a lot of cash stashed in swiss banks. an Offshore Whore, just like Romney. They're both cowards who invest more in foreign interests and offshore banks than they do at home.

              • 1 vote
              #15.1 - Fri May 11, 2012 3:16 AM EDT
              Reply

              No doubt the kids wanted to be able to live in Europe...sorry, kids....

              • 1 vote
              Reply#16 - Fri May 11, 2012 5:26 AM EDT

              Curious Boy, I mean Bob.

              I don't agree with her on anything but that does not give me the right to gang up on her as I see on this post. I still think this is a non_issue for ME. Folks get a life.

              • 1 vote
              #16.1 - Fri May 11, 2012 7:52 AM EDT

              Constipated Citizen, I mean Concern:

              If this is a non-issue for you, then maybe ....um...don't read them. Simple enough for ya?

              • 2 votes
              #16.2 - Fri May 11, 2012 8:14 AM EDT
              Reply

              C U Next Tuesday, bachmann!

                Reply#17 - Fri May 11, 2012 11:01 AM EDT

                Average IQ for Swiss citizens has just quadrupled

                  Reply#18 - Mon May 14, 2012 4:03 AM EDT
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