Source of video that led to Romney’s 47 percent problem comes forward

The videographer who taped Mitt Romney’s 47 percent remarks during the Presidential campaign came forward this week.

Scott Prouty, a 38-year-old bartender, was working at the $50,000 a plate Florida fundraiser when he recorded Romney’s now famous remarks, saying “47 percent of Americans are dependent on the government and see themselves as victims.”

In an interview with MSNBC’s Ed Schultz on The Ed Show, Prouty said he felt everyone should hear what he had heard at the dinner.

“I felt an obligation for all the people who can’t afford to be there, you shouldn’t have to be able to afford $50,000 to hear what the candidate actually thinks,” Prouty said.

Initially, Prouty posted a different clip from the fundraiser. But David Corn, Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones magazine, came across Prouty’s video clip, and talked him into posting the full video.

“(Prouty) was not eager immediately to get everything out,” he said. “There was a lot of thinking and conversations that had to go on about how to do this in the right way that would protect him, but he certainly wanted the material out.”

Prouty didn’t come forward during the election, Corn said, because he wanted the conversation to be about Romney’s comments, not the person who shot the video. 

“I think the fact that some time had passed now … probably made it easier for him to reveal himself,” Corn added.

Though there are critics of Prouty posting the video, Corn says, Prouty and Mother Jones were fair with Romney.

“After we put up our story at MotherJones.com Mitt Romney said ‘I want to see the whole video’ and we did. We put up the whole video,” he said. “It wasn’t an opposition research job, Scott very clearly explained that he went to the fundraiser to work, without the intention of trapping Mitt Romney.”