WASHINGTON  — The House Ethics Committee is launching a full-tilt investigation of Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.

The committee announced on Friday it had received a referral from the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent investigative body, and said in a brief statement that it would formally investigate the one-time Republican presidential candidate.

A lawyer for Bachmann had previously acknowledged the investigation by the OCE and said that Bachmann was cooperating. That probe is focused in part on her short-lived presidential bid.

Bachmann, a leader in the tea party movement, announced earlier this year she would not seek re-election.

First Published July 26, 2013, 4:36 p.m.