Soldier in sexual assault office accused of abuse

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army says the coordinator of a sexual assault prevention program at Fort Hood, Texas, is under investigation for "abusive sexual contact" and other alleged misconduct. He has been suspended from all duties.

The announcement Wednesday evening came just days after the arrest of the Air Force's head of sexual assault prevention on charges of groping a woman in a northern Virginia parking lot.

The Army said a sergeant first class, whose name was not released, is accused of pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault and maltreatment of subordinates.

He had been assigned as an equal opportunity adviser and coordinator of a sexual harassment-assault prevention program at the Army's 3rd Corps headquarters at Fort Hood when the allegation arose.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the Army to fully investigate.

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Ex-SC Gov. Sanford back in political office

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Former Republican South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford revived a scandal-scarred political career by winning back his old congressional seat Tuesday in a district that hasn't elected a Democrat in three decades.

The comeback was complete when he defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of political satirist Stephen Colbert. With 87 percent of the precincts reporting, Sanford had 54 percent of the vote.

Sanford, who turns 53 later this month, has never lost a race in three runs for Congress and two for governor. And he said before the votes were counted Tuesday that if he lost this race, he wouldn't run for office again.

"I think you can go back in and you can ask for a second chance in a political sense once," he said Tuesday after voting in the special election.

Sanford saw his political career disintegrate four years ago when he disappeared for five days, telling his staff he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. He returned to admit he had been in Argentina with his mistress — a woman to whom he is now engaged. Sanford later paid a $70,000 ethics fine, the largest in state history, for using public money to fly for personal purposes. His wife, Jenny, divorced him.

Green Party candidate Eugene Platt also ran.

Sanford's 1st District, slightly reconfigured from the one he held for three terms in the 1990s, is strongly Republican and Mitt Romney took it by 18 points in last year's presidential race. But Sanford had to battle against his own past indiscretions and a well-financed campaign mounted by Colbert Busch in which she outraised her Republican rival.

Three weeks before the special election, news surfaced that Sanford's ex-wife had filed a court complaint alleging he was in her house without permission in violation of their divorce decree, leading the National Republican Congressional Committee to pull its support from the campaign. Sanford must appear in court Thursday on the complaint.

Sanford said he tried to get in touch with his ex-wife and was in the house so his youngest son would not have to watch the Super Bowl alone.

The seat became vacant when U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint resigned from his Senate seat late last year. Governor Nikki Haley then appointed the sitting congressman, Tim Scott, to fill DeMint's seat.

Colbert Busch had said after she voted in Mount Pleasant, across the Cooper River from Charleston, that she felt positive and encouraged. But in the end, despite Sanford's past being an issue for some voters, she was defeated.

Gabriel Guillard, 49, a massage therapist and teacher, said she liked Colbert Busch but would have voted for anyone but Sanford.

"I would do anything to make sure Mark Sanford doesn't get back in because of his past behavior," she said. "And I am so tired of South Carolina being a laughingstock. I'm so sick of it."

Others didn't let the past dictate. Marion Doar, 79 and retired from careers in the military and business, said he voted for Sanford.

"Sanford was a fine fellow," he said. "He still is a fine fellow. Following his heart as he did was foolish but it happens."

Sanford already has survived a 16-way GOP primary with several sitting state lawmakers and Teddy Turner, the son of media magnate Ted Turner. He also won the primary runoff. Colbert Busch defeated perennial candidate Ben Frasier with 96 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary.

Colbert Busch, 58, picked up the endorsement of The Post and Courier over the weekend. The Charleston newspaper called her "a welcome tonic" for those who suffer from "Sanford Fatigue — a malady caused by overexposure to all of the cringe-worthy details of his 2009 disgrace as governor, his ongoing efforts for redemption via the political process, his resurgent personal problems, etc."

Sanford, despite losing national GOP support, picked up the endorsement of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a tea party favorite who is well-known in the district.

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Congressional ethics office investigating Bachmann

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Michele Bachmann and her short-lived campaign last year for the GOP presidential nomination are being investigated by the Office of Congressional Ethics.

A lawyer for the Minnesota Republican said Monday that Bachmann is cooperating with the investigation. The Office of Congressional Ethics is an independent investigative body established by the House five years ago to conduct preliminary investigations into allegations of misconduct by House members or their aides. The panel can dismiss cases or refer them to the House Ethics Committee.

"There are no allegations that the congresswoman engaged in any wrongdoing," lawyer William McGinley, of Patton Boggs said. "We are constructively engaged with the OCE and are confident that at the end of their review the OCE Board will conclude that Congresswoman Bachmann did not do anything inappropriate."

The Daily Beast first reported Monday that Bachmann was the subject of an OCE investigation of financial transactions by her presidential campaign.

Bachmann's presidential campaign, which ended after a lackluster sixth place finish in the Jan. 3, 2012 Iowa caucuses, has already produced a complaint with the Federal Election's Commission and a lawsuit.

In January, former Bachmann aide Peter Waldron wrote in a letter to the Federal Election Commission that Bachmann's campaign made improper payments to an Iowa state senator who served as her state chairman. Bachmann for President paid state Sen. Kent Sorenson $7,500 a month, including money through an associated political action committee, Waldron wrote in a letter to the FEC.

Waldron's letter also alleged that unpaid staffers and contractors were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement prohibiting interviews with attorneys or law enforcement before checking with the campaign.

Bachmann's attorney, McGinley, has previously denied Waldron's allegations. Sorenson has also said he violated no state or federal campaign laws while serving as Bachmann's chairman. Waldron was Bachmann's national field coordinator from July 2011 to January 2012.

Dan Kotman, Bachmann campaign spokesman, told the St. Cloud Times: "the disclosure of the existence of this review is a predictable and politically motivated attack by Congresswoman Bachmann's political adversaries in an attempt to disparage her reputation as a top-target of the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) and Democratic Super PACs. They are willing to do or say anything in an attempt to defeat her in 2014."

In July 2012, another former Bachmann campaign staffer, Barb Heki, sued Bachmann and her campaign, alleging that Sorenson stole a private email list and used it without permission.

Bachmann announced her presidential bid in June 2011, portraying herself as the race's true conservative candidate. She won the Ames, Iowa straw poll in August 2011, but dropped out the day after the Iowa caucuses.

Bachmann then announced she would run for re-election to her U.S. House seat and won a surprisingly close contest by just over 4,000 votes.

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