Angle distances from Tea Party PAC

After two months of being identified as the public face of a new Tea Party political organization, Sharron Angle took steps back today from the group.

In December, Angle said she was lending her name to the Patriot Caucus Political Action Committee along with the donor list she built during her unsuccessful attempt last fall to defeat Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. The former Nevada assemblywoman raised $27 million during her campaign, making that list a prized commodity.

But the relationship between Angle and the Patriot Caucus, which is associated with Tea Party groups in 15 states, gave rise to speculation it might be a vehicle for her own ambitions, whatever they may be.

When the Tea Party Republican appeared in the early caucus state of Iowa last month for the screening of a faith-based movie, she was asked if she was running for president. And pundits (mostly tongue in cheek) picked up the beat when the Patriot Caucus reiterated on its Website that it was opening offices in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and Florida.

At the same time, according to a posting by Elizabeth Crum, editor of NevadaNewsBureau.com, "rumors of Angle's disillusion with Patriot Caucus PAC...have been simmering for weeks."

This afternoon, Angle issued a statement she said "clarified her relationship with the Patriot Caucus PAC."

"I had originally lent my name to this PAC to help them start up so they could assist in organizing Tea Party efforts and local conservative grass-roots GOTV (Get-Out-the-Vote) efforts," Angle said.

"They are off to a good start. I am pleased to have been of assistance. I was not and am not now, involved in their decision making processes," she said.

Angle said she was working on "several projects," and would announce them in updates to her website.