Iowa State Senator Resigns over Ethics Issues Connected to Paul, Bachmann Campaigns

Investigator concludes he broke ethics rules by getting monthly income from Bachmann's PAC in 2011

Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson received a $25,000 check from a high-ranking official in Ron Paul's presidential campaign days before ditching Michele Bachmann to back Paul, and eventually got $73,000 in suspicious payments that may be linked to Paul's campaign, an investigator has found.

Sorenson resigned from office Wednesday after investigator Mark Weinhardt concluded Sorenson likely broke ethics rules in receiving $7,500 in monthly income from Bachmann's political action committee and presidential campaign in exchange for being Bachmann's state chair in 2011.

Weinhardt's 566-page report also suggests Sorenson defected from the Minnesota congresswoman's campaign days before the January 2012 caucuses after receiving promises of compensation from Paul's campaign, raising questions about whether criminal or campaign finance laws were violated.