Rubio condemns Bachmann
Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Scott Brown joined John McCain in denouncing the congresswoman's Muslim witch hunt
Topics: Marco Rubio, Michele Bachmann, Islam, John McCain, Politics News
FILE - In this May 24, 2012, file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks just off the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, during a series of votes. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is staying mum on whether Rubio, a rising star in Republican politics, has been eliminated from his short list of potential running mates. The presumptive GOP presidential nominee told Fox News on Tuesday, June 19, 2012, that "a number of people are being vetted," but that only two people, himself and a senior adviser, know who's on the list. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)(Credit: AP)Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising star in the party and a potential vice-presidential pick for Mitt Romney, said this morning that he disagreed with Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann’s baseless call to investigate Muslim Brotherhood infiltration in the U.S. government.
Appearing on NPR’s Diane Rehm show, Rubio was asked by a caller if he would join Republican Sen. John McCain’s strong condemnation of the anti-Muslim witch hunt on the Senate floor yesterday. While Rubio said he doesn’t personally know Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton whom Bachmann accused of being connected to the Brotherhood, the Florida Republican said, “Wveryone I talk to who has dealt with her, [says she is] a professional and hardworking and patriotic American who loves her country and in the service of her country is serving it.”
“I am not a signatory to that letter,” Rubio said of Bachmann’s letters to the inspectors general of several national security agencies demanding investigations. “I don’t share the feelings that are in that letter. Obviously, every member of Congress has a right to express their opinion and every member of Congress is held accountable for their opinion, if they’re right or if they’re wrong.”
“I can tell you that I don’t share the feelings that are in that letter,” he continued, “And in fact, I’m very very careful and cautious about ever making accusations like that about anyone.”
Rubio’s comments are decidedly more circumspect than McCain’s, but it is still unusual for someone in his position to speak out publicly against someone in his own party. Bachmann has also earned scorn from her former presidential campaign manager, Ed Rollins, who said Bachmann’s witch hunt is “extreme and dishonest.” “Shame on you, Michele!” Rollins wrote.
UPDATE: Sen. Scott Brown, the Republican from Massachusetts facing off against Democrat Elizabeth Warren in November, took to Twitter to strongly condemn Bachmann by name:
Alex Seitz-Wald is Salon's political reporter. Email him at aseitz-wald@salon.com, and follow him on Twitter @aseitzwald. More Alex Seitz-Wald.
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