The American Spectator

The Weekly Standard’s John McCormack reports that he was pushed by somebody connected to the campaign of Democratic Senate candidate Martha Coakley after trying to ask her a question outside of a fundraiser in Washington Tuesday evening. You may recall that McCormack is the same reporter who contributed to Dede Scozzafava’s implosion in the NY-23 congressional race when one of her campaign staffers called the cops on him.

Here’s how McCormack said it went down earlier tonight after Coakley, the Massachusetts attorney general seeking to fill the seat once held by Ted Kennedy, left a gaggle of reporters:

After Coakley finished her answer, she began walking away from the restaurant, and I walked behind her asking why health care industry lobbyists were supporting her at the fundraiser. She didn’t reply.

As I walked down the street, a man who appeared to be associated with the Coakley campaign pushed me into a freestanding metal railing. I ended up on the sidewalk. I was fine. He helped me up from the ground, but kept pushing up against me, blocking my path toward Coakley down the street.

He asked if I was with the media, and I told him I work for THE WEEKLY STANDARD. When I asked him who he worked for he replied, “I work for me.” He demanded to see my credentials, and even though it was a public street, I showed them to him.

I eventually got around him and met up with the attorney general halfway down the block.

“Attorney General, could I ask you a question please?” I said. “We’re done, thanks,” Coakley replied. She walked back toward the restaurant, apparently searching for her car. She remained silent as I (politely) repeated my question.

Coakley staffers told me they didn’t know who the man was who pushed me, though by every indication he was somehow connected to the campaign.

Video below.