The RINO In the 23rd NY Calls the Cops on the Weekly Standard

This is unbelievable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate:

Police questioned a reporter from a conservative publication after receiving a call that he harassed a Republican candidate for Congress who refused to answer his questions about her positions on tax and health issues.

Lowville Village Police Chief Eric Fredenburg said officers responded to a call Monday night saying state Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava "felt concern for her safety" during questioning by reporter John McCormack of the Weekly Standard. He wouldn't say who made the call.

"I don't believe it ever escalated to anything that would ever be classified as an emergency," Fredenburg said.

No charges were filed against McCormack.

Scozzafava is one of three candidates running for New York's the 23rd Congressional seat. The police were called Monday night outside of an Elk's lodge in Lowville, a village 61 miles northeast of Syracuse.

The unwillingness of the Republican candidate to answer questions for a conservative magazine is unusual, but there's been a schism in the party since Scozzafava was selected by the district's GOP leaders and another candidate -- Doug Hoffman -- decided to run on the Conservative line.

In the audio recording of the reporter's questioning played for The Associated Press by McCormack, the reporter didn't raise his voice, but repeated his unanswered questions several times, including one about abortion.

"I never screamed, I never yelled, I never shouted," he said. "My voice was only loud enough so she could hear my questions."

In a statement released Tuesday to the blog Politico, Scozzafava's campaign said the reporter "repeatedly screamed questions (in-your-face-style)," but later issued a statement deleting the accusation.

McCormack asked Scozzafava whether she supported the card check element of the Employee Free Choice Act -- pro-union legislation that includes a provision to give workers the right to form unions by signing cards instead of holding a secret ballot election.

Scozzafava said she supports the card check.

McCormack also asked her if she would support a health care bill that would cover abortions; whether she would oppose a heath care bill that raised taxes, and under what circumstances she would vote to raise taxes.

Scozzafava's campaign spokesman Matt Burns said Scozzafava "should still be afforded the same level of respect and decency as is shown to all candidates. Dede expects and welcomes tough questions."

Hoffman said McCormack has interviewed him and "he doesn't seem to be someone you would have to call the cops on."