The More You Know

Bachmann: Chill Guys, I’ve Been A Swiss Citizen Since The 70s

The Internets flipped out on Wednesday when news outlets revealed that former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann landed Switzerland citizenship, leading some to believe she may be mulling over an office run in the European country. But the Minnesota Congressman says everyone needs to stop having a cow, as she has actually been a Swiss citizen since the later 70s, when she tied the knot with Marcus Bachmann.

“I automatically became a dual citizen of the United States and Switzerland in 1978 when I married my husband, Marcus,” Bachmann said in a statement. “Marcus is a dual American and Swiss citizen because he is the son of Swiss immigrants. As a family, we just recently updated our documents. This is a non-story.”

Bachmann, whose husband Marcus has always been eligible for dual citizenship because of his parents’ background, says she has known she was able to be a dual citizen for more than thirty years. Of course, this begs the question: Why didn’t she bring it up during the presidential election? Because she didn’t think it was a important detail to share with the public:

“It wasn’t necessary to disclose, because she is an American citizen and always has been. She has a United States birth certificate and a United States passport,” Bachmann spokesperson Becky Rogness told POLITICO.

Bachmann has a point, as her spouse Marcus didn’t register with the Swiss authorities until this year, meaning that the country’s government has not known about it all this time. It’s not as if Bachmann was keeping a major secret from the U.S., but it would have been nice to know this fun fact about her back when she was still running for office. It might have even gained her some votes, being that so many people always complain that we need to be more than Europe and what not.

TAGS: michele bachmann | Michele bachmann swiss citizen

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