Bachmann Campaign Claims Bias in Republican Debate

GOP Presidential nominee Michele Bachmann claims she has proof that the CBS News/National Journal debate Saturday was biased against her. Late Saturday, Bachmann's campaign accused CBS News of purposely suppressing [their] conservative message and limiting Michele's questions.

The campaign posted an email exchange on Facebook where Alice Stewart, Bachmann's campaign spokesperson, was accidentally CC'ed in a reply.

CBS News politics producer Caroline Horn sent John Dickerson, Stewart and others an e-mail confirming details for Bachmann's online interview with Dickerson, CBS News' new political director, scheduled for after the debate. Dickerson's reply, seemingly meant only for Horn, was also accidentally sent to Stewart and is a cause for concern for the campaign.

In the e-mail, Dickerson replied: Okay let's keep it loose though since she's not going to get many questions and she's nearly off the charts in the hopes that we can get someone else.

Bachmann's campaign claims the e-mail exchange indicates bias against her presidential bid and proves CBS had determined which candidates would receive the most questions prior to the GOP debate.

Keith Nahigian, Bachmann's campaign manager, wrote as a reaction on Facebook that the e-mail is, concrete evidence confirming what every conservative already knows -- the liberal mainstream media elites are manipulating the Republican debates.

Dickerson told The New York Times that he stands by his comment.

Bachmann is at 4 percent in the polls and has been for a while, he told The New York Times. Other candidates aren't. I sent an e-mail based on that.

A CBS statement to CNN expressed the same sentiment, the L.A. Times reported.

It was a candid exchange about the reality of the circumstances -- Bachmann remains at 4% in the polls, the network said.

GOP Presidential nominee Ron Paul was also frustrated with the lack of air time during the debate.

CBS' treatment of Congressman Paul is disgraceful, especially given that tonight's debate centered on foreign policy and national security, wrote Gary Howard, Paul's national campaign chairman, according to Fox News. Congressman Paul was only allocated 90 seconds of speaking in one televised hour.