Especially because the congresswoman has such a high staff turnover and small inner-circle, Marcus Bachmann is his wife’s closest confidant. Another former staffer said the congresswoman didn’t talk about her husband much, but that he called the office almost every day, sometimes as many as three times a day.

“I know he’s important,” the ex-aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said. “He clearly has a lot of influence.”

Now the question is how much influence he will have on her presidential prospects. Already, his clinic has come under fire for taking Medicaid payments, but there are more questions surrounding the Christian-centric therapy. Among them are Bachmann’s credentials: He is not registered with any of the three boards that certify mental health practitioners and professions in the state. The Minnesota Board of Psychology and the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy confirmed to POLITICO that Bachmann is not licensed with them. And a search of the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy license database returns no result.

Trisha Stark, of the Minnesota Psychological Association, said that the title “clinical therapist” is not widely used in professional circles and that Bachmann is able to operate his clinic because of state rules regarding mental health practice.