The 'titanium' woman who calls 911 when she has glitter thrown at her: Police reports reveal 'paranoid' side of Michele Bachmann



She presents herself as a woman of steel vying for the White House with unapologetically fierce opposition to abortion and gay marriage.

But police reports filed by Tea Party favourite Michele Bachmann reveal she is not quite as unflappable as she might like to public to believe.

The Presidential hopeful has called authorities for protection when protesters threw glitter at her and when critics heckled her with unsupportive signs.



Defiant: Bachmann is known for her steel but she called the police when glittered

She also called the police to investigate after her house was egged, when her campaign signs were stolen, when she received an email she perceived as a threat and when she felt two women were holding her hostage in a city hall bathroom.

The police reports, filed at the Stillwater Police Department and the Washington County Sherriff's Office, appear to reveal a surprisingly erratic and paranoid side to Bachmann not previously seen by the public.

In one case she forwarded critical correspondence sent to her to police under the heading: 'Email Threat to Rep. Bachmann'.

She had taken issue to a sentence in the email in which the correspondent had written: 'I would also keep a little closer tabs on the dear hubby if I were you.'

Dr. Marcus Bachmann is a controversial figure in his own right after stating in a radio interview that homosexuals are 'barbarians (who) need to be educated'.



Fist-pumping: Bachmann portrays herself as a figure of unapologetic strength

It is also claimed by gay activists that he is a Christian counsellor who uses techniques to try to convert homosexuals' sexualities - a claim the Bachmanns deny.

Police eventually dismissed the claim, finding no threat was posed.



Brad Trandem, from Lakeland, Minnesota, who wrote the email, told the Miami Herald: 'She seems paranoid. She does all this criticism of other people's lives and talks about how people should be "armed and dangerous" but then someone says something critical about her and she calls the police.'

Another of the eight police reports concerned an altercation she was involved in after a meeting in her state senate district in 2005 in the bathroom at Scandia City Hall.



Bachmann had cut the meeting short after refusing to answer questions probing her views on gay marriage.

Minnesota constituent Nancy Cosgriff, a former nun, questioned her on the 'theological underpinnings' of her stance on the subject before following her into the restroom when she would not respond.



Another woman, Pamela Arnold also joined to get answers, before Bachmann said: 'You have to get away from the door because I have to go,' a police report stated.

Raging: Michele Bachmann and her husband Marcus Bachmann have come under fire from the left for their views on gay marriage

Bachmann then screamed: 'help me! Someone get me out of here!' You're holding me against my will!'

Mrs Cosgriff said: 'I was amazed and concerned when she erupted in this emotional outburst without provocation. I tried to apologise for any misunderstanding.'

Bachmann contacted police about the supposed 'imprisonment' but the women were not prosecuted because of a 'lack of any strong corroborating evidence that would suggest criminal activity'.

The congresswoman also called police when critics created placards and pamphlets that said 'shame' and 'sponsoring hate crimes legislation' to protest her views on gay marriage.

Her call to authorities was made 'in case she starts to get threatening phone calls,' according to the report.

Another woman was contacted by police after Bachmann complained she had thrown glitter at her. She was not arrested.

Threatening? Bachmann called police after a protester threw glitter at her

While Bachmann has faced much criticism from the left, she is riding on a wave of right-wing support, as demonstrated by polls which suggest she is leading the Republican race in Iowa and is in second place to Mitt Romney in Florida.



While Bachmann would not comment on the police reports, her Republican colleagues offered support on her behalf.



Scott Fischbach, executive director Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, said: 'Michele is engaged and she's articulate and she is not one to back down. They've tried everything to stop her. They've thrown the kitchen sink at her.'

Tony Sutton, state chairman of Republican Party of Minnesota, told the Herald: 'Michele Bachmann is someone who tells it like it is with the courage of her convictions.