A old video of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney vehemently defending his Mormon faith has gone viral. The video, which stems back to a 2007 interview with a conservative Iowa radio talk show host, made its way back into the media spotlight just days before the presidential election.
The clip, which has garnered more than three million views on YouTube, shows Romney passionately discussing Mormon teachings on abortion and the second coming of Christ. "Let me help you understand, that is, that you don't understand my faith like I do," Romney told radio host Jan Mickelson.
During the discussion, Mickelson pressed Romney to explain how Mormons could both adhere to religious teachings and also be pro-choice, Politico reported. In the clip, Romney responded, "I was beaten up in Boston because I pointed out, time and again that I encourage girls not to get abortions, that I told them to have adoptions."
He added, "I have never done anything that in any way violates the principals of my church in that regard. I made other mistakes, but in that regard. But our church does not say that a member of our church has to be opposed to allowing choice in society. It does not say that."
Mickelson also drilled the former presidential candidate on Mormon scripture regarding the second coming of Christ. Near the end of the video, Romney exclaimed, "I'm not running as a Mormon. And I get a little tired of coming on a show like yours and having it [be] all about Mormons."
He added, "I don't like coming on the air and having you go after my church. You're trying to tell me that I'm not a faithful Mormon." Romney continued, "I'm not running to talk about Mormonism."
According to CBS, Romney later told journalist Katie Couric that he had become "intense" after the discussion with Mickelson. Romney said, "Well, there was a TV or radio talk show host the other day in Iowa that began drilling me about my faith. And I became intense in confronting what he had said. And we went back and forth. Unbeknownst to me, he had a hidden camera on the console. So this then popped up on the Internet - as our exchange. And I was intense. I wasn't angry. I wasn't out of control. But I was intense."
Politico reported that a producer for the show said the camera had never been hidden. "The next day when that aired, I think it's a fair word to say that it stung us," Ross Peterson told Politico. "We felt that is was dishonest...the camera was absolutely in plain sight, feet from where he was sitting."
WATCH "MITT ROMNEY SPEAKING ABOUT MORMON FAITH"