Bachmann Staffer Was Busted for Terrorism

The campaign worker Michele Bachmann credits with a "tremendous" job in helping her win the Ames straw poll was charged with terrorism five years ago in Uganda. Peter Waldron was arrested for possession of assault rifles and ammunition just days before that nation's elections, reports Politico. A conviction could have netted him life in prison, but he was released after a campaign by friends and help from the Bush administration, according to Waldron. He told The Atlantic following the straw poll that he was responsible for Bachmann's "faith-based outreach" in Iowa and South Carolina, but he refused to give his name. Exactly what he was doing in Uganda remains murky. According to one report, he was working for a newsletter in Uganda—and establishing a health-care management technology system, says the Daily Mail.

Still other sources linked him to Congolese rebels working to capture a Ugandan guerilla leader to collect a reward. The Kampala Monitor reported he was working with a Congo group to set up a Christian political party in Uganda. He also reportedly told a friend he has worked for the CIA. Waldron says on his website he was "falsely accused of being a spy" in Uganda, and his ordeal is detailed in an odd film, The Ultimate Price, which has a trailer posted on YouTube. For now, Bachmann is standing behind her man. "Michele's faith is an important part of her life and Peter did a tremendous job with our faith outreach in Iowa," said an email from a Bachmann aide. "We are fortunate to have him on our team and look forward to having him expanding his efforts in several states." (More Peter E. Waldron stories.)