Bachmann Sets Record Straight on State of Campaign

Reports of disarray in GOP presidential candidate's camp

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," October 25, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: All of the GOP presidential campaigns have encountered bumps on the road to 2012. And the latest candidate to be hit with some bad news is Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. Now yesterday, members of her New Hampshire team reportedly authored a memo explaining that staffers in that state had resigned. However, the congresswoman's national team has hit back, calling the memo a quote, "unauthorized news release," that was sent by a person who quote, "doesn't even work for the campaign and has never had authority to speak on behalf of the campaign."

Now meanwhile, Congresswoman Bachmann's campaign continues to press forward in Iowa, hoping to regain the momentum that help her win the Ames Straw Poll back in August.

Joining me now from D.C. was more on her strategy, Minnesota congresswoman, Republican presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann. Congresswoman, how are you? Welcome back.

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN, R-MINN., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Great to be with you tonight. Thanks, Sean.

HANNITY: All right. It appears that you've got New Hampshire staffers lashing out at the national campaign, and the national campaign saying, it's not true. Is this a bump in the road? What's going on here?

BACHMANN: Well, we are in the process of hiring new people in New Hampshire. We are hiring new people in South Carolina and Iowa, but quite honestly, nobody asked me about the staffing and what is going on. What they talked to me about is my real jobs right now plan. That's my plan to turn the economy around. People can find that at MicheleBachmann.com. I am much more than a tax plan, I'm a comprehensive job creation plan. And people have been very excited about it wherever we're going around the country.

HANNITY: All right. Just stay on this for one second. I don't want to -- it but you are saying that nothing happened, that there weren't staffers, that there's no conflict with the national and New Hampshire staff at all?

BACHMANN: No. What I'm saying is that we are replacing people in New Hampshire as new hires, and we're very excited about where the campaign is at right now. We are adding new people in all of the states and we are growing. So, we are very excited.

But just this last week, I gave a major economic address at the commonwealth club in San Francisco and I laid out my economic plan for turning the country around. I'm a former tax lawyer. I started to run a successful, profitable company. I understand what needs to be done and people can find that on MicheleBachmann.com.

HANNITY: All right. The issue of abortion now has come up in the campaign. I know you did an interview with my friend David Brody of CBN, and it was obvious you were talking about candidate Herman Cain and saying that there are a lot of issues that are very concerning. And you are talking about comments that he made about abortion, correct?

BACHMANN: That came up last week, yes.

HANNITY: All right. What are the issues that you find concerning?

BACHMANN: Well, in the course of that interview with David Brody, I believe that we were talking about the interview that Herman Cain had done with Piers Morgan. And the fact that Herman Cain come out and made the comments that he believed that he was personally against abortion, but he didn't believe that the government should intervene to save a life. And the point was, is that, that's the exact same position that Barack Obama has, John Kerry has, and that's something that is a basic issue for our candidate. We have to make sure that our candidate is lock solid pro-life. But not only just that, not out of political convenience, it has to be something they will fight for.

And generally speaking, what I found here in Congress and in Washington, D.C. is that there are very few people, Sean, who fight on issues. They may vote right but we need a president who is going to lead and the president has to be able to lead on all of these issues, whether it's leading on pro-life, which I have, or leading on the definition of marriage as one man, one woman, as I have. Or leading on the repeal of Obamacare, which I have. Or on tax reform, which I have. Or as I have led on the repeal of Dodd-Frank, the jobs and housing destruction act. That's what we need in our next presidential candidate, a leader who has led on these issues. That's what sets me apart in the race. I'm a proven leader who has been fighting on all of these issues in Washington, D.C. That's what we need in the White House.

HANNITY: What do you think, Perry came out today with his flat tax plan, we mentioned at the top of the show, Newt's plan, and obviously Herman Cain, there's been a lot of talk about his 9-9-9 plan, what do you think about those in particular? And do you think of flat tax, a fair tax, scrapping the tax code is a good idea? Would you support those?

BACHMANN: Well, actually, I would love to come on your show and talk about my plan. It's been out there for several weeks. And I actually like what Governor Perry is coming up with because it's, in essence, my plan.

HANNITY: A flat tax?

BACHMANN: They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I've been talking for months about a simpler, flatter system that you can do on -- do on a postcard and send in. And so I'm grateful that Governor Perry has endorsed my plan and adopted it.

HANNITY: Is yours 20 percent like Governor Perry?

BACHMANN: My plan has everyone paying something. That's -- I disagree with Governor Perry and with Herman Cain and various other plans where they -- where they don't require every American to pay something. I'm a federal tax lawyer. I firmly believe that every American should pay something, even if it's just a dollar. Everybody needs to pay something because this year, we have 51 percent of the American people who aren't paying anything. We have to have everyone pay something. And even if it's a nominal amount, they need to pay. I don't believe that anyone should have their tax liability completely wiped out.

HANNITY: We got half the country who pays no federal income tax.

BACHMANN: That's wrong. That's wrong. Everybody has to pay something, Sean. That's my plan.

HANNITY: All right. Congresswoman, good to see you. And we always appreciate your time. Thanks for being with us.

BACHMANN: Thank you.

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