In an interview with Nevada State Democratic Party communications director Jon Summers, Fox News host Sean Hannity denied that Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-NV) plagiarized the text of a recent speech and that Gibbons's speech had suggested that opponents of the Bush administration's policies “ought to be used as human body armor.” In fact, news articles published prior to Summers's appearance on the March 3 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes confirmed that Gibbons repeated large portions of a copyrighted 2003 speech by Alabama State Auditor Beth Chapman. And Gibbons did suggest that antiwar and pro-choice advocates should be used as “human shields” in Iraq.

On February 28, the Elko Daily Free Press reported on Gibbon's February 25 Lincoln Day speech in Elko, Nevada:

“I want to know how these very people who are against war because of loss of life can possibly be the same people who are for abortion?” Gibbons said. “They are the same people who are for animal rights, but they are not for the rights of the unborn.”

He said that they are the same people who wanted to go to Iraq and become human shields for the enemy.

“I say it's just too damn bad we didn't buy them a ticket,” Gibbons said.

Laughter rippled through the room, mingled with more applause.

“If they want to be human shields, I say let them serve the men and women of honest integrity that epitomize courage and embody the spirit of freedom by wearing the proud uniform of the United States military,” Gibbons said.

When Summers said that “Gibbons came out, and he said that anyone who opposed this administration's policies, anyone who disagreed with his opinion ... ought to be used as human body armor,” Hannity repeatedly stated, “That's not what he said,” as Summers spoke. As the Daily Free Press reported, Gibbons used the term “human shields,” which mirrored a portion of Chapman's 2003 speech, in which she said that if antiwar and pro-choice “movie stars say they want to go to Iraq and serve as human shields for the Iraqis, I say let them buy a one-way ticket and go.”

In fact, Gibbons took most of his speech from Chapman's text. As the Daily Free Press first reported nearly five hours prior to the March 3 broadcast of Hannity & Colmes: “Chapman's speech is 21 paragraphs in length, of which Gibbons used 15 paragraphs word-for-word in his Lincoln Day address.” The Daily Free Press further noted that “Gibbons did not mention that the speech had been written and previously delivered by Chapman” and that Chapman said that Gibbons “had not requested permission to use her speech.” Chapman also told the Daily Free Press that Gibbons “apologized today for using large portions of her speech.” Nonetheless, when Summers stated that Gibbons' speech was plagiarized, Hannity said that was just an “allegation” and accused Summers of “playing politics.”

In concluding his interview with Summers, Hannity said: “All right, Mr. Summers. Thank you for joining us tonight and sharing your talking points over and over.” For examples of Hannity delivering Republican talking points, see here and here.