A video of Rep. Seth Moulton appearing to knock a phone from a questioner’s hand has ignited a dispute between his campaign and Fox News over who was recording. The campaign says the filmer was a paid “tracker” linked to a Republican-aligned opposition group,
A cellphone appears to tumble out of someone’s hand as Rep. Seth Moulton walks toward an event stairway Wednesday—an image now at the center of a sharper-than-usual fight over who was holding the camera.
The video. posted Wednesday by Fox News political editor Cameron Cawthorne. shows Moulton arriving at an event when he is approached by a person recording on a cellphone. As Moulton moves up the stairs, the person asks a question about whether he endorses Graham Platner. “Congressman Moulton, do you endorse Graham Platner?. Do you endorse Graham Platner in Maine?” the person asks.
Moulton has not endorsed Platner, The Boston Globe reported in May. In the video, the phone then appears to fall from the person’s hand, apparently after Moulton makes contact with it. Moulton’s response is audible in the clip: “You should do a better job at hanging onto your phone.”
According to Moulton’s campaign Communications Director Taylor Hebble, the incident occurred as Moulton arrived at his 49th town hall as part of a statewide “listening tour.”
The campaign says the stakes are not just what happened in the moment, but who was there to film it. In statements and comments tied to the video. Hebble alleged the person recording was not a reporter. but a “paid political tracker” employed by America Rising. a Republican-aligned opposition reach organization that tracks Democratic candidates.
Hebble said America Rising has “repeatedly harassed” Moulton and members of his campaign staff at events across Massachusetts. In a campaign statement. she argued Fox News’ behavior tells its own story: “It’s not surprising that Fox is too scared to invite Seth back on their shows. but they’re happy to pay a MAGA tracker to harass him at multiple events across Massachusetts.”.
The campaign added: “Seth takes on MAGA anywhere, anytime, and won’t back down. If this tracker can’t handle a reality check or hold onto his own equipment, that’s on him.”
Fox News rejected the claim that it paid the person in the video. A spokesperson for the outlet said in a statement to Boston.com that “FOX News has never paid a tracker to attend an event.”
Hebble also accused Fox of changing its description. She said Fox News initially identified the person as a Fox News reporter before altering its description after the campaign contacted the network. “Fox News erroneously claimed and aired that this individual was a Fox reporter. until we provided them with a statement. ” Hebble said. She added that Fox “then privately acknowledged that this individual is a tracker. but have not issued a formal retraction yet to our knowledge.”.
Moulton addressed the incident himself on Wednesday, posting on X a screenshot of Fox News’ coverage. He wrote: “Typical MAGA to classify an @AmericaRising tracker as a ‘reporter.’ I’m not going to apologize for how much MAGA pisses me off.”
He continued in the same post: “I’ll take them on anywhere, anytime, and I won’t back down. If this tracker can’t handle a reality check or hold onto his own equipment, that’s on him.”
The post also added: “Sorry not sorry. And if @FoxNews wants me back on their airwaves so badly, they should stop ghosting my team.”
The dispute comes as Moulton is challenging incumbent Sen. Ed Markey in the state’s Democratic primary. The video. the question about Graham Platner. and the fight over the filmer’s identity have all landed on the same day—turning a brief exchange on a stairway into a public argument about access. accountability. and intent.
Where the clip leaves viewers uncertain is not only what happened with the phone, but what the people involved were—according to each side—supposed to represent. Moulton’s campaign frames the camera holder as a paid tracker tied to America Rising. Fox insists it never paid a tracker to attend.
For now, the competing accounts are colliding in real time, with Moulton using the moment to argue that hostile political attention is being dressed up as legitimate reporting—while Fox maintains that the person was never paid by the network to be there.
Seth Moulton Ed Markey Fox News America Rising Graham Platner Massachusetts Democratic primary listening tour town hall political tracker X