Hours after the Internet exploded over an inflammatory video of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney speaking to donors at a private fundraiser, Romney's presidential campaign has issued a statement asserting that the candidate "wants to help all Americans."

The statement, from Romney's communications director Gail Gitcho, does not directly address the video, in which Romney tells donors that 47 percent of Americans will support Obama because they are "dependent on government" and "believe they are victims."

Here's the full statement:

"Mitt Romney wants to help all Americans struggling in the Obama economy. As the governor has made clear all year, he is concerned about the growing number of people who are dependent on the federal government, including the record number of people who are on food stamps, nearly one in six Americans in poverty, and the 23 million Americans who are struggling to find work. Mitt Romney's plan creates 12 million new jobs in four years, grows the economy and moves Americans off of government dependency and into jobs."

While the statement does not explicitly confirm that it is the candidate speaking in the video, the campaign's silence on the question suggests that the footage is genuine.

The Romney campaign has also not said whether it is looking to take action against the videographer, who posted the clips on YouTube under the pseudonym Anne Onymous. Although the footage has been circulating on the Internet since May, the story only really took hold this afternoon after Mother Jones reporter David Corn reported that he had obtained the whole video and confirmed its veracity.