Michele Bachmann to withdraw her Swiss citizenship during her bid for re-election

Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota Republican and former presidential candidate, announced Thursday that she was withdrawing her dual Swiss citizenship, which Politico first disclosed earlier this week.

In a statement, Bachmann said she did not want to leave the impression that she was uncommitted to the United States.

Today I sent a letter to the Swiss Consulate requesting withdrawal of my dual Swiss citizenship, which was conferred upon me by operation of Swiss law when I married my husband in 1978. I took this action because I want to make it perfectly clear: I was born in America and I am a proud American citizen. I am, and always have been, 100 percent committed to our United States Constitution and the United States of America. As the daughter of an Air Force veteran, stepdaughter of an Army veteran and sister of a Navy veteran, I am proud of my allegiance to the greatest nation the world has ever known.

While Bachmann says she automatically became a Swiss citizen when she married her husband, Marcus, in 1978, Politico's Tim Mak reports that the marriage was only disclosed to Swiss authorities this year when the couple registered their children for dual citizenship.

Bachmann is currently running for re-election in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District. more stories