Brody's Notes... Bachmann Refuses Again To Answer Questions About Her Family Clinic's Therapeutic Practise

Michele Bachmann

By Linsey Pecikonis | WASHINGTON DC -- In a question and answer period during her appearance at the National Press Club today, GOP presidential challenger Michele Bachmann again refused to directly answer a question posed by The Washington Blade about "whether she thinks reparative therapy can change gay people into being straight and whether federal money is subsidizing this debunked practice at the Minnesota-based clinic she co-owns with her husband."

A brief transcript of the exchange between the moderator and Bachmann follows:

Moderator: A question that has been in the news — and I think so far your husband has been the one to address it — this comes from a local reporter for the Washington Blade who says, “Recent reporting has revealed the clinic you co-own with your husband engages in a kind of therapy that is meant to help people get over their homosexuality. Do you believe that reparative therapy can change gay people into being straight and has any federal funding gone to your clinic for the practice?

Michele Bachmann: Well, I’m extremely proud of my husband. I have tremendous respect and admiration for him, and we’ll celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary this coming September. But I am running for the presidency of the United States. My husband is not running for the presidency, neither are my children, neither is our business, neither is our foster children. And I am more than happy to stand for questions on running for presidency of the United States.

Moderator: So, just to be clear then, you don’t believe that your personal finances are something that should be questioned by the American people?

Bachmann: I am running for the presidency of the United States and I have no doubt that every jot and tittle of my life will be fully looked at and inspected prior to November 2012.

Watch the video of Bachmann’s response to the question here (via Think Progress)