Coakley aide says he was 'a little too aggressive'

Boston Globe ^ | January 13, 2010 | Martin Finucane

[reaganaut1]

A campaign aide to Democratic US Senate candidate Martha Coakley has acknowledged that he acted too aggressively in an incident Tuesday night in which he jostled a reporter for a conservative magazine who was pursuing Coakley for a comment and the reporter fell to the ground.

"Last evening I was a little too aggressive in trying to help the attorney general get to her car and catch a flight," Michael Meehan said this afternoon in a statement. He said he had called the reporter, John McCormack of the Weekly Standard, this afternoon to apologize.

McCormack, who reported on the incident Tuesday in a blog item titled, "We Report, We Get Pushed," said he was following Coakley as she left a Washington fund-raiser with his audio recorder in hand, when "a man came up on my right side and made contact with me and I was pushed into a railing. I hit the railing and I hit the ground."

McCormack said Meehan helped him up and asked him if he was all right, but Meehan was "clearly feigning concern" and continued for a few more seconds to block his path to the candidate. The reporter said he tore his pants leg and got a bruise on his leg in the incident, which was caught on a murky video posted on the magazine's website.

McCormack said he eventually caught up with Coakley and tried to ask her a question but was cut off with a "We're done, thanks" from the candidate.

"I clearly did not intend to cause John McCormack to trip and fall over that low fence," Meehan said. "As the video shows and he confirms in his blog, I stopped to help him up and make sure he was OK."

[reaganaut1]

The picture at the Globe site is priceless, I hope someone will paste it in this thread.

[Kartographer]

[hoe_cake]

What fence? It was a grate.

[henkster]

“I was in a hurry, I didn’t mean it, I was just following orders, I’m bipolar, and had bad potty training.”

Thug.

[Brett66]

I clearly did not intend to cause John McCormack to trip and fall over that low fence get caught on camera

Fixed.

[Toddsterpatriot]

[icwhatudo]

Didn’t happen.

Not with the campaign.

Only helped up a guy who fell.

Ok, I admit it.

Next excuse?

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

"Last evening I was a little too aggressive..."

Funny, because in my law classes we always called that "assault and battery". Why don't we ask a DA about that Mr. Meehan, maybe he can clear it up for us.

[Piranha]

It’s been posted many times today. It looks like he’s wearing an SEIU shirt under his suit coat.

[traderrob6]

Jostled my a$$, he shoved him to the ground. He then realized there were cameras present and feigned concern by trying to help him up.

It’s that simple.

[fullchroma]

McCormack’s pants were torn in the attack.

He should donate them to the Lefty-run, self-reverential Newseum in Washington where artifacts from “news stories” are archived and exhibited.

[COBOL2Java]

Coakley: Anyone else care to ask us questions???

[Kartographer]

You call yourself a report? You wouldn't last five minutes covering a PTA meeting in Chicago!

[JPG]

An apology from a Thug...how quaint.

[Ann Archy]

Meehan AND Cokley look DIRTY and UNKEMPT.....ick.

[domenad]

I thought the guy “stumbled”, according to the AP?

[RummyChick]

here's one excuse..that was a blatent lie
"Meehan said he helped McCormack up after he tripped over a low fence in front a book store near the restaurant and asked him if he was OK. He added McCormack was not wearing a press credential and refused to identify himself when Meehan asked who he was."

[Toddsterpatriot]

Do they have a V-neck?

[a fool in paradise]

Yeah, and Hillary Clinton’s union goon squad was a little over eager when they gouged the eyes of protesters.

He’s sorry that he got caught on tape.

[Red Badger]

She IS the DA!.............in MA..............