Bachmann thanks voters, family, Moses in final speech to Congress
Outgoing U.S Rep Michele Bachmann thanked Minnesota voters, her family, her donors, God and Moses in her final speech to Congress filled with religious imagery.
The central Minnesota GOP representative is stepping down after eight years in Congress, describing her time in the House as "an honor" and "the ride of a lifetime" Tuesday, the Star Tribune reports.
"I'm so filled with joy and so much happiness and understanding that the privilege that I have is one of being really a link on a chain," she told the House. "It's gone on for hundreds of years and I stand right here on the soil in the square feet that are the freest square feet in the world."
During her speech, Bachmann motioned towards the statue of Moses above the entrance to the House, with CNN noting she then went on to connect the rise of America's economy with the creation of the Ten Commandments, citing Moses' importance to Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
"It could be no coincidence that this nation, knowing and enjoying the heights of such great happiness and such great prosperity, that it could be built upon that foundation of the Ten Commandments and by the law given by the God in whom we trust," she said.
This embed is invalid
Bachmann in the spotlight
Upon winning the 6th District in 2006, Bachmann became the first female Republican to be elected to Congress in the state of Minnesota.
She became a high-profile figure in the house, with FOX News saying she "carved out a spotlight for herself" during her four-term tenure, running an unsuccessful campaign to secure the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, and involving herself in the Tea Party movement.
Her Tea Party activism will leave behind a legacy, according to University of Minnesota political scientist Larry Jacobs, but she was often criticized for audacious statements that stretched the truth, or were completely false.
"I had people all across the country come up to me and say 'Michele, thank you. You speak for me and I'm so thankful that you fought for me here in Washington," she said in her speech, according to KARE 11. "They knew that I wasn't here for special interests, they knew I wasn't bought and paid for."
Rep. Bachmann is expected to play some sort of role in the 2016 presidential election and will be looking for media and speaking work following her retirement.
She will be replaced by Republican Tom Emmer, who won her vacated seat in last month's midterms. He will be sworn in after the new year.
