Bachmann no longer a Swiss citizen

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) no longer wants to be a Swiss citizen, releasing a statement Thursday that emphasized she is “a proud American citizen.”

According to Bachmann’s office, the former GOP presidential candidate sent a letter on Thursday to the Swiss Consulate office asking it to officially withdraw her Swiss citizenship.

“I took this action because I want to make it perfectly clear: I was born in America and I am a proud American citizen,” Bachmann said in a statement. “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.”

{mosads}Bachmann’s office noted that she actually became a citizen by marrying Marcus Bachmann in 1978, though it first gained mass attention this week with reports that said she recently gained the citizenship. The Bachmann children reportedly sought to exercise their eligibility for dual citizenship fairly recently, but Bachmann’s office declined to comment on their status out of respect for their privacy.

Marcus Bachmann’s parents grew up in Switzerland.

Bachmann said Wednesday that she has never exercised her rights as a Swiss citizen, presumably never voting in that country. “Rather, I have always pledged allegiance to our one nation under God, the United States of America,” Bachmann said in another statement. “We live in the greatest nation humankind has ever known and I am proud to be an American.”

A Swiss news station also asked her in a recently released video whether she would consider running for office in Switzerland.

“As you can see there’s a lot of competition behind me that I would have to run against, and it would be very stiff because they’re very good,” Bachmann said, laughing and indicating a group of politicians behind her.

— Updated at 4:33 p.m.