Hotdish Politics: Former Bachmann aide sentenced to service

Javier Sanchez, a former legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, must complete 32 hours of community service by mid-December in an alleged theft case, a Washington, D.C., Superior Court judge ruled Monday.

U.S. Capitol Police said a hidden camera caught a man stealing a total of $200 from two envelopes in Bachmann's office June 14. Officers arrested Sanchez in connection with the theft in July after another staffer identified him as the man in the videos.

Sanchez faced a charge of second-degree theft, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

He has denied the charges and did not admit guilt as part of the agreement.

Judge Juliet McKenna said Sanchez must complete the community service before a Dec. 19 hearing. If he fails to do so, he could face further penalties.

"I fully expect [Sanchez] to complete his service," said his attorney, David Benowitz.

Sanchez declined to comment at the hearing. He was fired from Bachmann's employ after the arrest.

Former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan will take a swing through Minnesota next month for the Center of the American Experiment.

U.S. Rep. Ryan, R-Wis., will be the featured guest at a $100 luncheon and a $5,000 pre-lunch event for the conservative think tank.

The events will be Sept. 26 at the Hilton Minneapolis in downtown Minneapolis.

Rachel E. Stassen-Berger

Gov. Mark Dayton is asking Minnesotans to send him suggestions for next year's proposed "unsession."

The governor has long pitched the idea of an "unsession," which would get rid of unneeded laws, regulations and outdated flotsam and jetsam in state government.

He said that he got the name for it during his 1998 campaign for governor when 7-Up was pitching itself as the "Uncola."

He plans to put that idea into practice in next year's legislative session, which starts in February.