Before a ribbon cutting and speech at MedEx12, a Louisville health care information technology company, Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo addressed the controversy surrounding sound bites of him criticizing Governor Steve Beshear.

Watch the raw video of the interview and Mongiardo's speech here.

In the interview, although Mongiardo would not confirm or deny that the voice on the tapes is his, he nearly confirms it by clarifying the quote used on both YouTube recordings, that he "doesn't need" the U.S. Senate. Mongiardo also calls the tapes, "snippets with sound effects."

"I have said in public and in private multiple times I don't need this seat."

Mongiardo also said his third quarter fundraising is his best yet, that the timing of the tapes release coincides with the critical fundraising deadline, that he and Beshear both have respect for and are continuing to endorse each other, and that the online implication that Rand Paul supporters are behind the tapes may be a "smokescreen."

Here are quotes from Mongiardo's interview with WHAS11 photojournalist Pete Longton and WLKY's Andy Alcock (thanks for asking the questions, Andy. I get two weekdays off because I anchor the evening newscasts on weekends):

"As the governor has said these are just political shenanigans that we see all the time. The fact of the matter is we have great momentum in this race. We're about to post our best quarter. And this is shenanigans by our opponents to try to slow that momentum down."

"I'm a strong supporter of the governor. I respect what he does and I respect the fact that he's supporting me and I support him strongly in 2011."

"I think that may be a smokescreen."

Are Rand Paul supporters behind the tapes?

"I think that may be a smokescreen, but its obviously heavily edited with sound effects and all that so it looks like it's professionally done by somebody. But again this is, we've got great momentum. We're getting ready to post our best financial quarter, we're ahead in the polls, we're putting together the best grass roots organization the state has ever seen. And we see these types of politcial shenanigans at this time of the political campaign, and I think quite frankly most people are fed up with this kind of stuff."

"The fact of the matter is I support the governor, he supports me."

Is that your voice, did you make the coments?

"Look I'm not going to comment and give credibility to a doctored tape. The fact of the matter is I support the governor, he supports me. I'm proud to have his endorsement and I'll be supporting him in 2011."

What about you comparing Beshear with former Governor Ernie Fletcher?

"Like I said, these are heavily edited. There are sound effects there and I'm not going to give credibility to something thats been anonymously posted to the internet by who knows who?"

Did you not show up to the Wednesday news conference in Lexington because the governor told you not to come?

No, that's not true. We had a fundraiser last night in Chicago and we had to drive because we couldn't work out the flight time. So we had to leave early."

"I don't need this seat"Regarding your comments on the tape about the Senate seat, do you still want to run?

"I have said in public and in private multiple times, 'I don't need this seat.' The reason I'm running is because we need leadership in Washington, D.C.. We don't need somebody that's going to go up there and be a vote or a follower. We need leadership and I have said publicly that I don't need this seat but I believe passionately in the future of the state of Kentucky and I believe that I have the most experience Democrat or Republican especially on the difficult issue of health care that our country needs right now."

"So I'm in this race. I'm in it to win it and its onward."

Mongiardo describes the tape as "snippets with sound effects." Are they your voice?

"Who knows? It's been heavily edited and I'm not going to give credibility to an anonymous posted video or audiotape to the internet."

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