Boehner Joins Criticism of Bachmann Over Clinton Aide Comments
John Boehner, the leading Republican in Congress, has chastised his colleague Michele Bachmann over allegations she made linking a key aide of Hillary Clinton to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
Boehner said on Thursday that the comments - made in a letter from Bachmann to the state department and Minnesota congressman Keith Ellison - about the family of Huma Abedin were “pretty dangerous”.
He joins John McCain in rebuking Bachmann over claims that Abedin’s father, mother and brother were connected to the Islamist group.
In her letter, Bachmann questioned how, given her ‘family connections’, Abedin had been given security clearance. Bachmann, citing foreign news reports, suggested that Abedin’s relatives were known to be connected to Muslim Brotherhood operatives or organisations.
This was especially worrying as Abedin’s position “affords her routine access to the secretary and policy-making”, Bachmann added.
In the letter, Bachmann wondered how Abedin was not disqualified for a US security clearance “given what we know from the international media about Abedin’s documented family connections with the extremist Muslim Brotherhood.”
Speaking on Thursday, Boehner said: “From everything I do know of [Abedin], she has a sterling character, and I think accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous”. He added that he did not know Abedin personally.