Cameraman Caught in Middle When Town Hall Erupts Into Violence

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," August 10, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: A town hall event held Thursday in Tampa, Florida quickly became a mob scene when citizens were forcibly kept out. Now there were cameras there, but not everyone was happy about that.

One photographer at the event had his camera knocked out of his hands as the event unraveled. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop it.

(YELLING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get off of him. Get off of — get off of me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody, back up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's my arm.

(YELLING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: All right. The man who captured all of that on tape was on the receiving end of all of that was — and that scuffle was J. Mark Campbell is here with us.

Now, Mark, thank you for being here with us. Wow, what a scene.

• Video: Watch the town hall video

J. MARK CAMPBELL, CAMERAMAN AT TAMPA TOWNHALL: Thank you, Sean.

HANNITY: Kind of frightening.

CAMPBELL: Yes. Especially for me, yes.

HANNITY: Why don't you give us the synopsis? Then we're going to re-rack this tape and you can give us a running commentary. Because I think people really need to understand what's happening at these town halls, who's being shut out, who's who. Who are the players here.

Why don't you give us just an opening case of what was going on.

CAMPBELL: All right, well, first of all — well, before the scene even happened, what had transpired was that it was already a stacked deck before we even walked in the door.

HANNITY: Meaning what, stacked deck?

CAMPBELL: Well, they had already let in the people ahead of time and had filled up half the seats.

HANNITY: Right.

CAMPBELL: And it was a 200-seat event, and half of them were already filled up. And so those people got left just outside the door are the ones who just — are the one who would have made it if they had to...

HANNITY: And this is Congresswoman Katie Caster.

CAMPBELL: Yes.

HANNITY: Democrat?

CAMPBELL: Yes.

HANNITY: When you say stacked deck, they wanted Democrats in there. She did not want a real town hall.

CAMPBELL: Well, actually on FloridaSecurityCouncil.org Web site, you have a picture — actually a hidden photography — of that actually happening.

HANNITY: Right.

CAMPBELL: And so...

HANNITY: This is the one that said I'm from ACORN, I'm from the union — or I'm from ACORN, let me in. Is that the tape you're talking about?

CAMPBELL: No, no, no. This is a totally — a 15-second blurb where they actually had them saying, all right, we're going to line you up here in the front row and then we're going to not let the other — we're going to put the other ones in the back.

HANNITY: In other words, we're going to ask you the question. So the whole thing was set up.

CAMPBELL: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

HANNITY: It's like a Hollywood production. All right, let's re-rack this tape and I want you to give a running commentary because you were there. You're the guy behind the camera. If we can roll this tape and then we'll talk as it's rolling, and you can explain. All right. What's happening here?

CAMPBELL: Those are the people — that's the daughter of the — all right, first of all, that's the daughter of the cancer patient who she's trying — she's frantic, because her dad has cancer. He's got a colostomy bag on his side and he's trying to — she's trying to get to him.

HANNITY: Right. He was already in the meeting.

CAMPBELL: Right. Yes — no, no, no. He's on the outside.

HANNITY: He's on the outside so she wanted to get into the meeting and talk about her dad wit h a colostomy bag.

CAMPBELL: Yes. They were — they were the few that were ejected and let outside. They're right outside. And these four guys from the union here are the ones who...

HANNITY: How do you know they're from a union?

CAMPBELL: Well, I got their business card.

HANNITY: In other words, they gave you the business card.

CAMPBELL: Yes, the Pipe Fitters Union.

HANNITY: OK. And they were literally there as like security?

CAMPBELL: Yes.

HANNITY: To stop...

CAMPBELL: They were the security to keep all the protesters out and in check. They didn't like what was going on outside, so they decided to pawn themselves and shut the doors. Now what was happening was the guys were standing next to the doors there, so they just decided to bum rush these guys.

HANNITY: So you're basically saying that these town halls, what you saw as a cameraman here was a setup. That all the Democrats got in first and that the regular, you know, average person that came in there to express their concern were shut out of this meeting so that there wouldn't be another embarrassing moment for another Democrat.

CAMPBELL: That's right.

HANNITY: Pretty much?

CAMPBELL: Yes, pretty much a synopsis. And the guy — he's actually a 28-year Democrat who they assaulted. The guy with cancer.

HANNITY: Now, in the end — excuse me, my voice is shot. In the end was there any opposition questions asked, or you don't know because you didn't get in?

CAMPBELL: No. I didn't — well, what happened to me was — you know, it's what you don't see in this video is what's really telling, Sean. It's because after they attacked this cancer guy — and they knew it after, because she screamed, "He's got cancer. He's got cancer." All right? They did — what was their reaction? Were they sorry, were they remorseful? No, their reaction was to attack me because I was videotaping it.

HANNITY: Were they trying to get your tape?

CAMPBELL: They're trying to...

HANNITY: Did anyone ask you for your tape?

CAMPBELL: They slapped the camera around, as you can see, and then they grabbed a hold of it and broke my glasses.

HANNITY: Right.

CAMPBELL: And they shattered them. You know I've got them here, but...

HANNITY: Let me ask you a question because, you know, I'm friends with all the cameramen here at FOX. They're all good friends of mine. And how long have you been a cameraman?

CAMPBELL: Well, it's — this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. And I've been into jihadist areas. I've been dealing with, you know, Muslim extremists. And, you know, this is the most afraid I've ever been.

HANNITY: So in other words, we have — literally these manufactured town halls, they're stacking the deck because they're afraid the American people may go in and ask some tough questions. So the very thing they're accusing the Republicans of doing, they themselves are doing, and you saw it with your own eyes.

CAMPBELL: Yes. Yes. The irony about it was it was union Democrats attacking another union member.

HANNITY: That's you.

CAMPBELL: And I'm also — I was also a former teamster at one time, so...

HANNITY: Yes. Well, was there any evidence of ACORN there?

CAMPBELL: I can't honestly say.

HANNITY: How was that woman with her father — the woman whose father had cancer, did she do OK? I mean she seemed...

CAMPBELL: I...

HANNITY: She seemed like she was roughed up a little bit.

CAMPBELL: I have not been able to talk to her since the event, so I really don't know.

HANNITY: All right.

CAMPBELL: Trying to be honest with you, so.

HANNITY: Thank you for sharing that with you. We really appreciate it.

CAMPBELL: Thank you, Sean. Have a good day.

HANNITY: Folks, this is where cell phones in come in very handy on these events, so you can chronicle just how the Democratic Party really feels about America, and Americans and free speech.

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