I wasn't going to touch this because it seemed like a pretty straightforward slime piece. But now that Bachmann has responded, and Brian Ross refused to take no comment for an answer, well, here you go.

Both stories from Gateway Pundit:


ABC REPORTER GANG-RUSHES MICHELE BACHMANN!… Aides Forced to Step In
Posted by Jim Hoft on Tuesday, July 19, 2011, 9:05 PM

It begins… Far left ABC reporter harasses Michele Bachmann.

(The Wire)

ABC reporter Brian Ross gang-rushed Michele Bachmann today at a speaking event. Bachmann aides were forced to detain the out-of-control liberal reporter.
ABC has not released video of the attack.
The Plum Line reported:

This morning, the Daily Caller published a story I was inclined to leave to others: Michele Bachmann suffers from severe migraines.

But now the Bachmann camp has suddenly invited a whole lot more scrutiny to the story. At an event today, ABC News reporter Brian Ross tried to ask her about her condition, and according to another reporter on the scene, Time’s Michael Crowley, Bachmann’s handlers got pretty rough and aggressive with Ross:

Ross dashed after Bachmann, repeatedly asking whether she had ever missed a House vote due to a migraine. She ignored him. Ross pursued her into a parking area behind the stage. Her aides grew alarmed. When Ross made a beeline for the white SUV waiting to carry Bachmann away, two Bachmann men pounced on him, grabbing and pushing him multiple times with what looked to me like unusual force. In fact, I have never seen a reporter treated so roughly at a campaign event, especially not a presidential one. Ross was finally able to break away and lob his question at Bachmann one more time, but she ignored him again.

Afterward, I asked Ross — a hard-nosed pro who nevertheless seemed slightly shaken — whether he’d ever been treated so roughly. “A few times,” he told me. “Mostly by mafia people.”

Folks, look for more of this. Democrats cannot win on the issues. They’ve squandered the country’s wealth and destroyed the economy. They have to change the narrative.

Look for more physical attacks on Republican candidates like this in the coming year.

Michele Bachmann Responds to the Daily Caller Hit Piece: “My Ability to Function Has Never Been Impeded by Migraines”

John Hawkins captured the excitement in South Carolina recently.

(Right Wing News)

Conservative Michele Bachmann responded today to the hit piece published at the Daily Caller last night.
The popular conservative writes, “My ability to function has never been impeded by migraines.”
It looks like The Daily Caller owes her an apology.
From the Michele Bachmann website:

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has issued the following statement in response to reports of her experiencing migraines:

“Like nearly 30 million other Americans, I experience migraines that are easily controlled with medication. I am a wife, a mother, a lawyer who worked her way through law school, a former state senator who achieved the repeal of a harmful piece of education policy in Minnesota, and a congresswoman who has worked tirelessly fighting against the expansion of government and wasteful spending.

“Since entering the campaign, I have maintained a full schedule between my duties as a congresswoman and as a presidential candidate traveling across the nation to meet with voters in the key, early primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. I have prescription medication that I take whenever symptoms arise and they keep the migraines under control. Let me be abundantly clear – my ability to function effectively has never been impeded by migraines and will not affect my ability to serve as Commander in Chief.

“The many questions I have received on this subject have allowed me to discuss this important condition that impacts individuals in nearly one in four households. However, as a presidential candidate and office holder, I am focused on performing my job, which has never been more important given the state of our economy and the millions of Americans that are out of work. While I appreciate the concern for me and my health, the greater concern should be the debate that is occurring in Washington over whether or not we will increase our debt, spending and taxes.”

More… Dan Riehl fact checked the Daily Caller hit piece.