Michele Bachmann Staff Blocks Iowa Station WQAD Following Questions Regarding Husband Marcus Bachmann’s Clinic Practicing Sexual Reparative Therapy

Michele Bachmann made a visit to the Quad Cities Sunday night to speak with supporters and give interviews to the local television media, that is, with one exception. Despite promises to WQAD for a one-on-one interview, the Congresswoman's managers openly and aggressively denied News 8 access to the Iowa Republican front-runner. According to WQAD at the conclusion of Sunday night's event the Bachmann campaign said the snubbing was based on interview questions News 8's Rae Chelle Davis asked the Congresswoman during a satellite interview two weeks ago. Undercover cameras had captured a counsellor at the clinic owned by Michele Bachmann and her husband, Marcus, conducting sexual reparative therapy. Sexual reparative therapy is the attempt to change a person from gay to straight or from one sexual orientation to another. Voters wanted to know if the story was true and to hear what Michele Bachmann had to say about it. Due to a pre-planned satellite interview, the station was in the unique position to ask her about the controversy first. During the satellite interview, behind the scenes, it got ugly. In the News 8 control room, campaign staffers threatened WQAD producers that they would cut off the feed if Rae Chelle repeated the question. A follow-up question was asked on the issue. The Congresswoman's answers were aired nationally on ABC World News Tonight and Nightline. At Sunday's Davenport fundraiser was our first chance to interview Bachmann since the satellite interview incident. All Quad Cities media were invited to attend and promised a one-on-one interview during the evening. While their competitors were accommodated, WQAD was blocked and denied. "One of her staffers said, 'due to the interview last week WQAD would not have an interview.' He said we would have to get our audio from a pool camera. ... Then the same man came over and said I could have my interview outside," said Chuck McClurg a veteran News 8 photojournalist. McClurg continued to shoot the event. Afterwards, he walked with the Congresswoman and her team down the stairs and out the door. "I followed them outside hoping to get the interview I was promised," said McClurg, who began rolling his camera as another local Quad Cities news station started asking their questions."I started to tape something off of that interview and a staffer pushed me aside and stood in front of my camera and said that this was for the other station only." The reporter asked a question about Bachmann's clinic and her husband. At that point, McClurg says the staffer took the microphone off of Bachmann, tossed it to the reporter and said their interview was over. McClurg said he thought he would then get his turn after he was respectful of the campaign staffer's wishes. "I was standing (there) and I brought up my camera and that's when all of the staffers pushed her on," said McClurg. "I've been a photojournalist since 1988 and I have logged some 3,000 items. I've never been snubbed like I was (here) yesterday." McClurg said he waited outside the bus to see if Bachman would come back out for his interview after everyone left. She never did and the bus was still there when he finally left.