A little buzz about this. Seems that Michelle Bachmann made the following statement, seemingly accusing New Gingrich of paying off the Tea Party for their endorsement.

“Michele Bachmann, asked just now by CNN’s John King about a statement from her South Carolina spokesman saying Newt Gingrich is buying votes, said her campaign has heard that “money is changing hands.”

Her S.C. spokesman Wesley Donohue made the accusation against Gingrich last month in an interview with the Columbia Free-Times:

Bachmann is trying to grow an organic base of supporters, and Newt Gingrich is trying to buy off tea party groups. … Newt Gingrich knows the only way he can get the tea party vote is to buy it.

When King asked Bachmann tonight to support or deny it, she deferred to Donohue but said she’s been “hearing” about these occurrences around the country:

Well, Wesley would have to speak to that himself with what evidence he has, but this is something that we’ve been hearing all across the country, that money is changing hands, and that’s not how I do business. In fact I’ve told people, I’ve told evangelicals, I’ve told tea partiers, I don’t pay people to come out and be my supporters, that’s not what I do. When we have tea party groups and all of the rest, I don’t do that because I’m just a real person.”

Other bloggers, Ace, The Professor and Stacy McCain are teeing off on Bachmann but she actually didn’t make the accusation but simply said that she had heard it was taking place.

I don’t know what’s the harm in checking it out.