Bachmann: Rivals' 'money is changing hands'

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.

Bachmann's gotten in hot water before for making claims without backup, and it's not clear whether there is more to this one. I’ve emailed Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond for a response.

UPDATE: R.C. Hammond called back to respond: "I am not sure about other campaigns, but the first thing we don't do when working with tea parties is challenge their integrity."