Bachmann accuses Perry camp of 'stealth' political attack
(CNN) - Michele Bachmann accused Rick Perry's presidential campaign Friday of a "stealth" political attack - a charge the Texas governor's campaign flat out denied.
"If Gov. Perry has something to say to me, he can come out to the debates and say it," Bachmann said in an interview with CNN. "But this is egg on the face unfortunately for the Perry campaign."
At issue: tea party sponsor American Majority's urging for Bachmann to drop out of the presidential race. On Thursday, the group's executive director Matt Robbins told CNN that Bachmann's White House bid "is not a serious presidential campaign." His comments coincided with a blog statement from American Majority president Ned Ryun, who outlined reasons why "it's time for Michele Bachmann to go."
Among other claims, Ryun wrote that Bachmann's emphasis on social issues was damaging the tea party movement.
In an interview with CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer," Bachmann fired back, targeting the Texas governor.
"Well, of course, we found out that this is really a misstep on the part of the Perry campaign because these are Perry supporters that came out," Bachmann told CNN. "This was a clumsy move."
Bachmann continued: "This was meant to be a stealth move to make it look like this was tea party."
"It certainly isn't a blow to my campaign because I've had nonstop support coming out of the woodwork from tea partiers all across the country ever since this came out," she said.
When asked whether Bachmann had evidence that the Perry campaign was involved in American Majority's statements, Bachmann replied, "No."
"This is something that people have told us," Bachmann said.
Both American Majority and Perry's campaign deny they were working together.
"We learned about this from news reports today. We were not aware or involved in the group's action," Perry campaign communications director Ray Sullivan said in a statement to CNN.
The group's president called Bachmann's assertion "bizarre."
"I have no connection with the Perry campaign," Ryun told CNN, although he did publicly express support for Perry's tax plan revealed earlier this week.
Ryun also said it's "wildly illegal" for his nonprofit group to endorse a candidate.
"American Majority does not endorse. I'm not working for or with any campaign," Ryun said.
"It goes back to let's focus on the substance of what this whole debate was about to begin with. Where are your substantive ideas to actually advance the ideas of the tea party movement?" he added.
–Follow Shannon Travis on Twitter: @ShanTravisCNN
Watch The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer weekdays at 4pm to 6pm ET and Saturdays at 6pm ET. For the latest from The Situation Room click here.
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The little Chrisyians are having a spat.
If Rick Perry won't say it, I will. Bachmann, you're an idiot. Yours and Sarah Palin's combined I.Q. make Forrest Gump seem like Einstein. While I eagerly await the day when a woman is sworn in as President, I can say with all certainty that it will never be you.
Uhm, wasn't it Michele Bachmann herself that stated at the beginning of her campaign that she was not seriously launching a campaign, just entering the field to engage others on the issues? Please correct me if I am wrong. It is hard to take the issues seriously with someone who is trying to engage in such a bizarre manner.
This is a conspiracy against Bachman. We all know that when she becomes president we shall all be much better off. She will whip our economy into shape, fix our prison system, throw millions off of welfare, cut medicare and medicaid, while slashing social security payments. Bachman 2012!
Michele Bachmann should thank her lucky stars that she is not on Death Roe in Texas !
Perry / Palin 2012
"This is something that people have told us," Bachmann said. This "Ding Bat" is always "Quoting" stuff that "people have told her". Can't she think of anything original to say on her own? If ya can't stand the heat Bachmann, get out of the kitchen or Congress. While I have always held and mainatined that Sarah Palin was as dumb as a box of rocks, this woman, Bachmann, is even dummer than the rocks in Sarah Palin's box.
stupid old lady
Remember...these are people who are running for The Presidency....clawing, hacking, chomping at each other like wild beasts, pulling their dirty tricks while playing innocent. Can you imagine what they have done to President Obama, their self-declared political Enemy? You want one of them to be President?
So someone who points out the obvious has to be a deliberate plant from another campaign? This nitwit needs a strong reality check.
Apparently n*t-wit is a naughty word. Who knew? Where does she get the idea that someone who points out the obvious is a plant from another campaign?
I love watching the GOP candidates tear eachother apart. It is like finding out who is the smartest kardashian.
You're already too close to the White House as it is, with you being in Congress. Go home to MN and stay there.
Michelle Bachmann – The real situation here regardless of whether it was Perry' supporters, or those same people as Tea Party members, is that you have zero chance of being supported by the American People as the candidate endorsed by the Republican Party for President of the United States. You may have your small group of supporters surrounding you now giving you all the praise and false hope imaginable, leading you to think you have a place in the political process, but dear, you can not succeed in your efforts. Whether you continue to campaign or not is really not an issue as you have such a small percentage of the electorate supporting you that you are a non-issue, and only those persons contributing money to you will have anything to lose. You could save them some money by dropping out now, as you will have no choice but to drop out later even if you continued to campaign all the way to your national convention. Even more important to the republican campaign would be that you would no longer have to assault thinking, intelligent people with your warped rhetoric and voodoo religious ideas. In other words, if you dropped out now, I wouldn't have to encounter you again. That is a good thing, a really, really good thing.
here goes Michele Bachmann off the steep end with lies & inuendo again,
Is anybody surprised??
Just when I thought Sarah Palin was the most intellectually challenged politician to come out of the Mad Tea Party, along comes Michele Bachmann to claim that honor. And that's saying something considering all the colorful characters within that circus, e.g., Christine O'Donnell. At least Palin finally came to her senses in time to realize that she had no chance of winning the Presidency of the United States. Bachmann, on the other hand, still seems very much lost in the Wonderland.
LOL Pray the tuh tuh truth away Bachman! Too funny she thinks she could really saddle up and be president.. right there is the best reason she would not do a good job.. she doesn't even know enough to know she CAN'T do the job.. show me a republican with half the appeal and chops as Hillary Clinton.. that would be your republican front runner.. it's not and never will be Bachman or Palin or Perry or Cain or Romney.. that leaves Gingrich or Huntsman.. Gingrich knows more about being president than any of the GOP clowns but can you count on him to stay on track or swoon with power and dial up the republican war chest and economy killers.. I don't think we can chance a republican in the whitehouse for many years.. not until they learn more about what they did to crash America and explain how they will do different.. until then the GOP is not electable, ineffective and politically impotent. Tea Party clipped em nice and tidy!
From the Article: When asked whether Bachmann had evidence that the Perry campaign was involved in American Majority's statements, Bachmann replied, "No."
"This is something that people have told us," Bachmann said.
Has she not learned her lesson about repeating what people tell her... the HPV vaccine story comes to mind here.
No fact checking Bachmann is at it again. Is it just too difficult for her to get her facts in line before she flaps her lip? I am no tea party backer but I certainly can't blame them for wanting her off the campaign trail. She is a joke...she should drop out and take Cain with her.
Hey – you are due for another gaff – please work on that and don't worry you're not going to get very far since all your staff have already dumped you because you are a NUT.
They're imploding. It's too funny.
Apparently Michele hears voices or talks to people who aren't there. This article reminds me of the statement made recently that an unknown female Bachmann supporter told her that the ladies daughter developed mental retardation after receiving the human papillomavirus vaccine.
From this article; "When asked whether Bachmann had evidence that the Perry campaign was involved in American Majority's statements, Bachmann replied, "No."
"This is something that people have told us," Bachmann said."
Michele, since you believe most everything you hear, read my lips; "You are dingbat that doesn't have a chance of being elected POTUS. You 15 minutes of fame were over many days ago. Please give the public a break and exit the stage so we don't have to listen to the same drivel from you in every "debate".
It's not a blow to your campaign, because you campaign can't get much lower.
Perry for president. 2012!!!!!
I agree – Bachmann needs to go NOW! This woman does nothing but makes inflammatory remarks, and adds nothing to the politcal discourse.
The next time someone posts a comment using the words "libertards" or "Obummie", they have to remember that these stories represent a mind set of the country. How do people like this GOP field get anywhere past serving hamburgers will go down in history as one of the great mysteries.