Update: Chief of Staff Ron Carey says he resigned his position and notified Bachmann over the July 4th weekend. He declined to get into specifics about his decision to leave, but said, "I'm very proud of the campaign team and the congressional operation. There's been some tremendous progress made in the last five months."
Two top aides are leaving Rep. Michele Bachmann in a major shake-up: her chief of staff who's been in the congressional office for just five months and her campaign finance director who helped the Minnesota Republican rake in more than $4 million in fundraising.
Bachmann's office did not give an explanation for the departures, issuing statements that simply thanked Chief of Staff Ron Carey and campaign finance director Zandra Wolcott for their services.
Bachmann's office also said today that former campaign manager Andy Parrish is returning to her congressional office as a senior adviser starting August 1.
Carey, a former Minnesota GOP Chairman, joined Bachmann as her fifth chief of staff in February. His last day is Friday, according to Bachmann spokeswoman Rachel Horn.
Wolcott, a fundraising consultant in Minnesota for the Bush 2004 campaign, worked as finance director for Bachmann since at least her 2008 congressional race. Wolcott had just helped Bachmann last week hit record fundraising numbers in Minnesota with a $1.7 million quarterly haul.
Calls to Wolcott seeking comment were not returned. When asked by Politico why she was leaving, Wolcott would not say if she chose to depart or if she was asked to by the campaign. "It's just time to move on," she told Politico. "I have other things to do here in Minnesota."
